Double Sided Cherry Blossom
by Via Arterus
Summary: When Sakura meets a not so distant relative of hers she discovers that there's more to her family than she was let to think. What's she to do when she gets reaquainted with an old friend? SasuSaku minor NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno and KakaAnko
1. Prolouge

**Hey peoples! Name's Hawk! Psychotic Hawk, or at least that's wut my friends call me….Anywayz, I hope you enjoy this new story I'm writin…….yep…….Srry about my last 2 stories……I think I'm gonna fix 'em……maybe….who knows…. maybe I might continue them...**

**Well, I have to give a lot of credit to my friend who created this OC…..Though I had to help her with making some of her appearance descriptions cuz she's kind of an idiot……….oh wells……..**

**Enjoys!**

**Disclaimer: Noes! I donts owns Naruto or the rabid Narutards will kill me if I did. A very smart guy named Kishimoto does!**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

No one dared move her as she sat in the corner of a very plain, grey room. Her dark, reddish- pink hair that would normally reach to a bit below her shoulders shadowed her face as she raised her knees up to her chest, sobbing silently laying her head into them. She wrapped her arms around herself tighter as more sobs wracked her body. Tears finally became visible as she threw her head back and ground her teeth feeling protests from her gums.

"Kuso…." She cursed once. "Kuso…..kuso……kuso, kuso, kuso….."

She kept repeating the curse like a mantra as raised her left arm and covered her eyes with it. A black tattoo mark could be seen printed near her shoulder that marked her as a member of the black ops of the village. It formed a swirl with two long commas on each end that made it resemble, more or less, a leaf.

The girl moved her arm down and began to rub her forehead with her left hand as she kept crying. Her sobs came more frequent as she pounded a fist into the floor, cracking the concrete exterior.

"A Shinobi….must never…….show……emotion……." she sobbed. "….kuso…."

She brought her head down onto her knees as she tried to suppress more tears and silent yells that threatened to come out. She began drawing blood as her nails dug into her fists and she pounded the floor with them. She trembled more with each punch and clenched her teeth as pain became apparent to her from her now bloodied hands. A voice rang through the girl's head.

**'Hey come on now! Cut your weak crap! I think you've had enough of that physical torture shit on yourself!'**

'_Shut up!_'

'**Hey! I'm not the one stabbing my palms with my own nails moron! What would ****they**** think if they saw you now huh?'**

_'Shut Up! You wouldn't know…'_

**'Yes, I would…look…..I know its hard. But they wouldn't want us to be this way. You know that. Please. Sure there's always time to mourn, but you have to move on eventually. I mean come on! It's been a whole damn week since the incident! You need to do something besides sulk, cry, and blame yourself.'**

_'But I probably could've done something damnit!'_

**'No…. you weren't there. You were on your own mission. It couldn't be helped. Understand. I'm tired of seeing you like this. Of seeing myself like this. Stop crawling, get up, and start walking. They would want that. And I…..You know it.'**

'…'

The girl's sobs began to slowly halt and she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. Using her hands, she pushed off the floor still trembling and stood up with her head still bowed and eyes shadowed by her bangs. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself, and then exhaled it as her shudders ceased. She brought one of her hands toe her forehead as she wiped some sweat that had appeared on her brow.

**'There you go. See? You're started to feel better.'**

'…_Yea…Thanks…But I still…I dunno…'_

**'I swear to Kami if you all emotional on me again-'**

'_No! no…hehe… um… its still hard you know.'_

'…**Perhaps…'**

'… _I need to find a new apartment now… something cheaper… great…'_

**'Wow….really fast recovery there…. I expected more sulkiness…' **

The girl chuckled lightly as she walked over to a desk that was situated at another corner of the room. It was packed with a stack of random shinobi reports and mail that seemed nearly endless. A visible sweat drop appeared on the girls head as she stared at the stack.

"Wow… just for one week outta commission…hm?"

A letter at the top of the stack caught her attention. Not only was it the only letter in a reddish envelope, but also where there would usually be a stamp of a sort, there was a white, bold, circle outline. A clan symbol.

Her eyes widened as she snatched the envelope, opened it, and read the note that was inside. After a minute of staring at the note in her hands, a soft smile reached the girls face as she looked up revealing darkish, emerald green eyes. She folded it back up and pocketed it as she turned for the door, forgetting that there was a mass of important documents that she had to take care of on her desk.

'_Well. Guess I don't have to worry too much about an apartment.'_

**'Hells Yea!' **

As she reached for the door, the handle twitched and the door opened on its own revealing a man wearing typical ANBU equipment with out the mask. The girl a bit surprised stared at him as he began to speak.

"Tiger! Are you okay? Are you feeling--" he stopped and stared at her before yelling "HOLY SHIT! SHE'S GONE MAD!" and running back out the door.

"Tiger" as was her codename stared at the empty spot where the man once was. She just stood there with an extremely stupefied face as she wracked her brain for an answer.

'_Ummm…what just happened? That guy looked ready to completely piss himself.'_

**'I guess someone needs to really look into a mirror. Hehehe.'**

'_Eh?_'

**'Your hands were bloody when you wiped them on your face! Bwhahaha!!! You must seriously look like a homicidal psycho!! HAHAHA!'**

"What!? OW!" yelped "Tiger" as she noticed that her hands had nail hole in them and were now covered by semi-dried blood and the pain still numbing her fingers. She sweat dropped once more as she went back to her desk and pulled out a first aid kit.

_'Mou, it would've helped if you had warned me!'_

**'I'm in your head and yet I enjoy watching you suffer'**

_'Why did I end up with a sadistic idiot?'_

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

On the other side of town, a young 16-year-old Haruno Sakura was on her way home to rest and relax after a long day of training with her teammates and sensei. Too bad for her, she would be receiving a very sudden and unexpected visit.

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Wow… I'm really hoping I didn't give much away there. Yep. I left the girl for now with her name being "Tiger" cuz as an ANBU you need some sorta codename and I didn't feel like giving out her real name yet. Anywayz, reviews are much welcomed and flamerz…well go ahead and flame if you want. Hopefully its something to better improve my writing and not some BS complaints. Anywayz, I hope you enjoyed.**

**Ja ne **


	2. Tragic news and Herbal Tea

**Weeeeee!!! I'm in a writing kind of mood so I decided to update! Aren't I nice?**

**-Insert sound of cricket chirps here-**

**Um…Okay… Anywayz, here's the next chapter to this fic! I hope to update often and not ignore this story like I did with my other 2! I hope I can get back into the swing of things and finish those up…… They nag at me to finish 'em in my dreams…-twitch-**

**Enough with my retarded ranting! On to da story!! Munkis! (Munkis is my special word)**

**Disclaimer: Must I really put this up here all the time? Naruto isn't mine. If it was well…..Hehehehehehe……Oh and the OC mostly belongs to my friend!**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

"_**NO FRIGGIN WAY!!!!!!!"**_

Such a deafening cry made its way through all of Konoha as people became startled from the sudden and unpredictable wail. Where did it come from? Simple. A young pink-haired kunoichi's home near the village's walls.

"Sakura honey, please, that was completely uncalled for."

"B-B-But Okaa-san!! I--"

Said woman raised her left palm up from a steaming mug of tea to prevent said daughter from another outburst. When the girl quitted down, although still fidgeting anxiously, she lowered her hand and took another sip of the tea she was still clutching with her right hand before looking back at the other. She looked at her daughter with a sad but knowing smile.

"Sakura, I know it is a bit hard to understand--"

"Hard to understand?!" interrupted the beyond shocked girl. "I come home today expecting to go to bed to relax with no worries or distractions and I find you had barged in with out any previous warning and telling me something that completely shocks me beyond reason!?!!!"

FLASHBACK 

_A tired looking 16-year-old Sakura Haruno walks up to her apartment door tiredly sighing as she fumbles with her keys._

"_Aww man…" she mumbles as she finally opens the door and steps into her living room. "Training today was such a bi—eh?! Okaa-san! W-what are you doing here? More importantly, how did hell did you get in?!!"_

_An older looking woman with deep, green eyes and pink hair with natural brownish highlights sat before her with a small smile on her face. She was wearing a red and white dress-like robe and on the back was a white outlined circle, the symbol of the Haruno clan. She looked at Sakura with tired eyes that seemed a bit puffy and red as if she was previously…_Crying?

"_My, my, Sakura." She began while looking her up and down. "You've grown into such a promising young woman ne?"_

"_Okaa-san?"_

"_How long has it been since I last saw you honey? A year? Two years? Ah yes. It's been exactly two years."_

"……_Would you like some tea?"_

"_Thank you honey. That would be much appreciated."_

_At her mother's smile, Sakura walked into her kitchen and began preparing two cups of herbal tea with a hint of honey to keep it sweet. She snatched a pair of red mugs and poured them each a fair amount before returning to her living room. The kunoichi's observation skills immediately kicked in the minute she noticed that her mother had distant look on her face. She looked gloomy and distressed as if something tragic had happened. 'Okaa-san… Her expression reminds me of the time…Otou-san was killed…'_

_Sakura's father was a Jounin that fought alongside other shinobi like Ino's father. He wasn't as highly respected as the InoShikaCho trio or a few other nin, but he was respected to a degree nonetheless. Sadly, when Sakura was nearly 8 and was about to join the ninja academy, her father was sent on a dangerous mission that had a 67 death rate. They found his body, or what was left of it, near the border of the Water Country, along with his squad and a few other bodies that seemed to belong to missing nin. He had died proudly in combat like a true shinobi, but the cost was leaving his family. When the news of his death reached his wife, Sakura's mother, she went into a deep depression and refused to leave the house for nearly four days._

_Sakura was a bit too young to understand what was going on and spent those days trying to get her dear Okaa-san back on her feet. When she finally comprehended the fact that her father was gone forever and she would never see him again, like any other child, she broke down in tears and mourned for her father. That didn't stop her though from joining the academy because she remembered her promise to become a strong Kunoichi right before her father left. If only he could see her now._

"_Ano, Sakura?" spoke her mother as said girl was quickly snapped out of her daze._

"_Hai?"_

"_If you just stand there staring, the tea will get cold."_

"_H-Hai…"_

_She quickly walked over to her mother holding the two steaming mugs of herbal tea and gave one of them to her before sitting down at the other end of the pale colored sofa. Her mother took a quick sip of the liquid given to her and gave a satisfied sigh. She looked at Sakura and gave another small smile, but this one seemed a bit livelier._

"_Did you add a dash of honey like when I used to make it? Its quite delicious."_

"_Hai Okaa-san." She smiled back as her mother hummed a little sound of delight before taking a few more sips of tea. She looked up at Sakura from her mug and looked her straight in the eyes, a clear view of her depression present in her green orbs._

"_Sakura. There is something I must tell you that has been really hard for me to finally admit to myself recently." She paused as Sakura slowly nodded her attention._

"_A week ago or so, I was informed of something very tragic and…" she took a steady breath as tears welled up in her eyes. "During another high-class mission…the life of my sister and her husband were taken. I'm sorry Sakura…your only aunt and uncle died..."_

_Sakura just sat in a complete haze with her mouth hanging open and a disturbed look upon her face. Her mother just stared at her with a questioning look. _

"_Sakura?"_

_And that's when all hell broke loose._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Sakura, please. I understand that its sudden news-"

"I NEVER KNEW YOU HAD A SISTER!" bellowed the overreacting kunoichi. Her mother just stared before she pointed out that she had never asked which caused the pink-haired girl to fall anime-style on the floor.

"That's not the point! Okaa-san, I never knew I had an aunt or an uncle for that matter, and now when I find out about them, it's too late! I'll never get to meet them!"

The older Haruno looked at her daughter with an emotional look in her eyes. She took another sip of her tea before looking back at the distressed girl who seemed to have completely forgotten about her own steaming mug.

"My sister and I were very close. Extremely close. In fact, she was my twin sister," at that statement, if possible, Sakura's eyes widened even more. "But when she married into another clan, we became detached from that old bond. I only got to see her few times after she married. I honestly wish I had the chance to see her more times. At least, if it's any help for you, when you were born, she was by my side the whole time I was in labor."

Sakura stared at her mother who had gotten that faraway look in her eyes. She seemed to be reminiscing about her days when she and her sister were inseparable. Sakura sighed before finally acknowledging her tea. She took a gulp of it before speaking to her mother once more.

"So Okaa-san… Is there… anything else that you need to tell me about my aunt and uncle? Not to be rude or anything…" she had a sneaking suspicion that something rather…IMPORTANT… was left out of the message.

"Ah… There is something I left out. Which is also mostly the reason I came to speak to you like this."

"Hmm?"

"Their daughter, your cousin, will most likely be staying with you here in your apartment since the one she lives in is now a bit too pricey since her parents helped her with the rent."

Sakura stared flabbergasted at her mother. She really had to control the urge to scream bloody murder once more from the newly processed information. Instead she opted to ask in a small, squeaky voice: "I have a cousin?"

Her mother merely nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hai. I believe she is about 2 and a- half years older than you. She's 18 to be precise. She's been recently appointed to ANBU."

Sakura still stared at her mother as she continued. "Ah yes, when nee-chan was in labor, I stood by her side the whole time as well. I was the first to hold her, besides nee-chan when she was born. I met her one other time before you were born Sakura. You looked so much like her when you were that age. One would mistake you both for sisters."

"Wow…" That was the only thing Sakura could come up with as she stared at the chuckling form of her mother. Then a quick thought hit her.

"Ano Okaa-san, you said she was going to stay with me? I don't even know her!"

"Well honey, yes, but I'm sure you both will get along fine. Your apartment is big enough for the both of you. You have 2 bedrooms from what I've seen."

"…"

"Sakura, she just went through a hard time losing her parents. She can't maintain her apartment anymore because she doesn't have enough money. Even with the pay she gets from ANBU. Also, she needs someone to be there for her. She may already know how to take care of herself, but like any other person, she needs support."

"Alright…" sighed the already stressed kunoichi. "When is she going to come?"

"I already contacted her through a letter and she responded just today with another saying that she'll come sometime tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay…I'll fix up the other room for her. Fortunately, it won't take long because its only getting the bed ready and clearing out some extra stuff from the closet."

"Arigatou Sakura. That's my girl." Smiled the elder of the two Harunos. She had finished the rest of her tea and placed the mug on the small, brown coffee table that was before her. She then got up and removed the wrinkles from her dress before going over to a now standing Sakura and bringing her into a warm hug. Sakura, although a bit awkwardly, embraced her back before bidding her farewell and letting her out of the apartment.

When a few minutes passed after her mother left, Sakura slumped back onto the sofa and let a loud, long groan escape her lips. She looked at her long forgotten cup of now cold herbal tea and let a scowl form on her face as her brows twitched in annoyance.

"So much for coming home to a nice comfy bed and the sweet embrace of sleep…Damn…"

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW **

**YAYERS!!! I finished another chapter!!! Took me longer than I thought… Damn thunderstorms… the power kept going out and my laptop kept running outta power… Now to get some much needed sleep myself! Next chappie will hopefully be up before this week ends!**

**Ja ne!**


	3. Cousin's arrival and Naruto's trauma

**Hello once more everybody!! Sorry about the wait… I had to attend band camp last week… yes… I'm a band geek… MUSIC IS LIFE! WOOT! Okay yea…but I despise my instructors with passion… they're pretty arrogant…and total a-holes… they like to make fun of everyone behind our backs… -sigh-… anywayz… I'm trying to get this story moving along, I dun wanna give up on it! I ain't no quitter!! MUNKIS!!**

**Btw, thanks to those who reviewed! You guys actually sparked my enthusiasm a bit more! Anywayz, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own, so you don't sue. Only half own OC.**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

"Umm…I've got my… clothes… shoes… huh… what else?"

An ANBU kunoichi stood at the foot of her bed looking at a moderately large back pack that was open on the floor. Holding a little note pad with a check- list on it, she marked off what she had already packed.

"Hmm… I already had some friends take the furniture there late night yesterday…" She shook her head sighing. "Probably snuck in and placed it without anyone knowing… those psychos…"

She began placing a few final items in her bag before picking up the last and final object- a small framed photograph of a young, twelve-year-old girl with dark, pink hair and emerald green eyes smiling brightly as she held up a leaf headband while an older man with dark brownish red hair and deep brown eyes held her on his shoulder proudly smiling as another woman with pink hair and natural brown highlights and deep green eyes hugged him from the side. She smiled as she traced the faces of the two older people in the picture.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san… I guess I'm gonna get to meet some long forgotten family…"

She placed the picture inside her pack, closed it, and slung it on her back before walking to the door. As she stepped out, she took one last look at her old apartment. It was empty except for the bed that was just an old mattress on steel holds. Giving a small smile, she left with out a second glance.

……..

"Hmm… I think this is the place."

She looked up from a slip of paper that marked the address to her destination. She was facing an apartment door that had a small cherry blossom decoration around the door-frame. When she reached the door-knob, the kunoichi found that the door was locked.

"Freakin' great… Now what?"

'**How about checking the top part of the door frame you moron!'**

'_And now I have to deal with you…-sigh-… Oh yea… I can see another one of those days coming on…'_

'**Well isn't that nice? Now get the friggin key!'**

'… _meh…'_

Reaching around the door frame she felt a piece of key-shaped metal and pulled it out.

'…_okay…it was there…'_

'**That's where almost everyone has it idiot!'**

The kunoichi scowled as she stuck the key into its hole and began turning the door-knob until what one would describe as an ear-drum shattering yell reached her ears.

'_Wuh?!'_

'**WHAT THE HELL!'**

She turned around and saw a boy around 15 years old with spiky blonde hair sticking up in every direction and bright, deep blue eyes. He wore a bright orange and black sweater with orange pants to match and black ninja sandals. He had his leaf headband tight around his head with a long, black cloth as he jogged over to her.

'**The hell kinda ninja wears orange?!'**

'_Completely agree… wait… why's he coming this way?'_

**'Looks familiar.'**

'_Yea… like someone we should know about…whatever… his screaming is making my ears bleed!!'_

"OI OI!!! SAKURA-CHAN!!!" He bellowed as he waved his hand. "WHAT'S UP SAKURA-CHAN!!!"

She twitched in annoyance as his screams blew her ear-drums to hell. Oh how she would kick his ass if she could just get her hands on him.

The boy stopped in front of her and stared for a moment before squinting his eyes. She took a small step back as he neared her.

"Oi Sakura-chan… Did you get taller? And your hair seems darker! Wait a minute! You're taller than me!! Wah?!"

She just stared as he began having some sort of spasm about her height. She stared. And stared… And stared…then glared… death glare coming on. Oh if looks could kill.

The boy stopped his spasms as he felt a deathly aura coming from the person he thought to be 'Sakura-chan.' He turned and caught the full blast of her death glare and her twitching eyebrow.

"Uh…ehehe…Sa…Sakura-chan?"

"**You're annoying.**"

"EEEEEEHHHHH!?!?!?!?!?! BUT SAKURA-CHAN!!!!"

"Will you stop calling me that? I've got enough of a headache already!……Who the heck are you anyways?"

"NANI?!?!?!"

She stared at the young nin before her who's jaw had already dropped to the floor like rapid fire. His whole persona shocked and disbelieving.

"Sakura-chan! It's me Naruto! Did something happen? Is that why you seem so different?"

She glared at him as her scowl deepened making her facial to seem to be screaming "I'm gonna fucking rip your head off if you keep talking idiot." The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck rose as anime tears spilled down his face like waterfalls. He gave an innocent chibi-like face before turning tail in the other direction and yelling: "WAAAAAHH!! SAKURA-CHAN IS POSSESSED!!!!"

The kunoichi raised an eyebrow as she stared at his retreating form.

"Wonder what the hell that was about…"

**'Bwahahahahahah!!! You scared the piss outta him!!! HAHAHAHAHA!! Aw man!! That made my day!!!'**

'_Shut up before I lock you back where you belong.'_

'**...You're no fun anymore…'**

'_I'm tired is all…'_

She finally got to open the door and walked into a small living room with a kitchen connected to it. There was a sofa fit for about 3 people with a small brown coffee table in front that held a small vase full of flowers. There was a small shoe rack in the corner next to the door along with a coat rack.

She took off her sandals and placed them there and walked over to check out the kitchen. It was mostly clean and had the usual things any normal kitchen would have. It looked like nothing was out of place, except for maybe a few dirty dishes lying in the sink and one on the counter.

_'Guess she hardly hasn't had time to clean lately…'_

'**Huh? Who we talkin' about here?'**

'_My cousin…at least that's what I read in that letter.'_

'**Oh right… some Haruno girl…'**

'_Yep.'_

She stepped out of the kitchen and back into the living room and that was when she noticed a small hallway and 3 doors, 2 on the right, and one on the left. She walked to the one on the left first and found a bathroom that had mostly red towels and white shower curtains.

"Huh…only one bathroom."

She walked back out into the hallway and went to the first door and opened it. She was met with a sight of a Full sized bed with pale pink sheets and fluffy white pillows, a half open closet, and a wardrobe with drawers and counter that had a few scattered items like small scrolls and kunai. There was a small nightstand with a lamp next to the bed that had a framed picture on it, but she didn't bother to take a look at it, and there was a window to the right of it. What got her attention the most was a bunch of large books lying around on the floor, and a few large scrolls accompanying them too.

"Someone's a bookworm. Huh. They look like medical books too."

**'Probably a medic nin.'**

She nodded as she walked out and reached the last room. She opened the door that revealed a room that had a full sized blank bed, an empty closet, wardrobe, and a nightstand. The room also had a window on one side.

"Definitely my stuff, and so its my room. Sweet!"

She placed her pack down and flopped on the mattress with her arms outstretched and gave a light yawn.

"Nap time now… Unpacking later…"

And with that said, the kunoichi fell asleep.

…….

Sakura walked down the street to her apartment holding a pair of medic scrolls in one hand and a half eaten apple in the other. She looked to the sky as she walked and noticed that the sun was lowered to the west making the time be around 5 or 6 o'clock.

"Wonder if she's there already."

She shrugged as she took another bite of her apple. She saw Ichiraku's, Naruto's favorite place to dine, up ahead. As she neared it she saw 2 figures eating there, one of them obviously being the most hyperactive, unpredictable, knuckleheaded, loudmouth, shinobi and her teammate, Uzumaki Naruto. She couldn't recognize the other that well because he was shadowed by the banner that hung down from the roof of the building, but she had an pretty good idea on who it was.

Naruto quickly noticed her approaching and stood up from his seat, dropping his chopsticks and looking at her with a horror stricken face. She raised an eyebrow as he shuddered and his eyes were twitching.

"Ano… Is there something on my face? Naruto?"

He immediately forgot his shock and glomped Sakura in a bear hug, smiling from ear to ear and tears water-falling from his face.

"Sakura-chan!! You're back to normal!!! You actually recognize me!! And you're back to being shorter than me!"

He got a light bop to his head, which still hurt by the way, and released the slightly irritated Sakura. He clutched his head as a small lump formed and looked at her with watery chibi eyes.

"Am I still annoying to you?"

She raised an eyebrow as she stared at him confused.

"You called me annoying and yelled at me earlier!"

"Um… No I didn't. I haven't seen you since training yesterday."

"But you did! And you were taller and your hair was darker and longer and- Hey! How did you get tall then back to small?"

Sakura stared at him with an even more confused expression as glanced at her with question marks filling his head.

"You dobe, it probably wasn't her."

The second figure at the ramen stand stood from his seat and faced them, his dark onyx eyes scanning the scene before him.

"Konichiwa Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

Sasuke was back after more than 3 years of tracking and attempting to retrieve him. Naruto and Sakura had managed to find him and his group called Hebi after they had attacked and killed almost half of the remaining Akatsuki. They had persuaded him to return home after he had killed his brother and after a short fight with Naruto, he finally agreed. His group of Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo followed along as well since they had no where else to go and they were allowed to stay in Konoha. The Council gave the group a month in solitary before releasing them with a six month probation that included no leaving the village, only D-ranked missions to do, and a lot of community service. That, and a few ANBU watching them 24/7.

It was still a few more weeks until the end of his probation. Thirty-seven days to be precise, but hey, who's counting?

"Naruto, like Sasuke-kun said, it probably wasn't me."

"Then explain why she had a key to your apartment and was trying to get in!"

Sakura stared at him for a moment before the meaning of his words sunk in. Then a lazy look crossed her face.

"Oh great, she's there already."

"Eh?"

"Sorry guys, I have to rush home."

"Wait what! Sakura-chan!"

She disappeared in a swirl of leaves leaving a still confused Naruto and a semi-annoyed Sasuke.

"Hn. Dobe, you're paying."

"Say what?! TEME!!!"

Too late, he had already left.

…….

Sakura appeared in front of her apartment door and quickly walked in side, making sure to remove her boots and place them in the shoe rack. She checked the living room but found no one there and was about to go into the bedrooms when she heard a plate being set down in the kitchen. She slowly and quietly walked over and saw a figure placing washed dishes on her dish rack to dry.

Before she could get close enough to them, the figure disappeared and the young kunoichi felt the cool metal of a kunai being held against her neck and a hand roughly placed on her head. She felt them smirk behind her.

"You have a good reaction time."

Sakura felt herself smirk as she too held a kunai behind her aimed at the figures throat as well.

"And you're awareness skills are impressive."

She replied as she felt the kunai being removed and her head being freed. Sakura turned around and saw what she would have claimed to be a taller, near spitting, image of herself. She stared with wide eyes as the girl in front of her did as well. She then shook her head from her daze and glanced back at the girl.

"I'm guessing you're the cousin my okaa-san told me about."

"Yep. And you're the cousin I'm gonna live with for now."

"Hai."

"Ah… well… It would be nice if you introduced your-self so we could at least start getting along."

"Alright." She held out her hand. "Haruno, Sakura. 16 year-old Medic nin and Chuunin. Apprentice of the Godaime, Tsunade. Part of team Kakashi once known as Team 7."

"Hmm… medic nin… I thought so… Anyways, I'm almost 19 and an ANBU nin specializeing in stealth and a special form of taijutsu/ ninjutsu. Codenamed as Tiger. One of my specialties is a blood line limit I have, but I can tell you about that later."

"That's pretty cool, but you didn't mention your name."

"Whoops… hehe…My name's Ichigo. Ryu, Ichigo!" She smiled as they shook hands.

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**So far so good huh? I'm not giving up on this story… but I'm gonna have to stop her for today… I'm tired and its about past 3:32 am… I need rest………Reviews are much appreciated and they keep me enthusiastic about writing!!! Nighty night, I'm going to bed… -yawns and passes out –**

**Ja ne!**


	4. A pleasant introduction or not

**Hey! OMG!! An Update!!! Yayerz! Munkis!!...Alright, so I'm kinda rushing my story along...fine...I see how it is!...not! Yea, I'm trying to get as many chapters done before school starts cuz it blows my mind off the story and what I was gonna write and I just forget the whole plot and crap...yep...that's what happened to my other stories...I'm hoping I can remember what I was aiming for with them so I cans continue 'em...**

**But anywayz, enough with my rambling! I've done enough pestering lately, I don't need anymore!...or do I? X9**

**Disclaimer: If I did own Naruto, then Sasuke's official theme would be the Emo Song and it would play anytime he was introduced in the episode! XD!...Oh and Ichigo is only half mine...The other half belongs to a crazy and paranoid friend of mines...yep**

**MUNKIS!!**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

"Yep, my name's Ichigo Ryu! Real nice to meet my cousin for once in my life!"

"Heh. I guess so. Honestly I never knew I had a cousin until my kaa-san told me." Sakura forced a smile as she recalled her outburst when her mother told her about Ichigo.

"Huh really? When did she tell you? A week ago? Or did she tell you when you were younger?"

Sakura sweat-dropped and tried to keep the smile on her face as her cousin stared at her with question marks around her head.

"Umm...heh..." She sighed in defeat with a semi-embarrassed look in her eyes. "She told me just yestarday... in fact, its almost been 24-hours since she dropped by."

"Oh. Well... Honestly, I didn't know till I got the letter she sent me offering to stay with you which was what?...Like...2-3 days ago?...Yea, pretty sure."

"Well, at least I'm not the only clueless one all my life!"

"Heh, same here!"

Both girls laughed together as they moved from the kitchen to the living room. Sakura took a seat on the armrest of her couch as Ichigo just plopped her body down on it as if it was bed, her legs dangling from the armrest opposite from her cousin.

"So, I heard your friends stuff your furniture and stuff in your room in the middle of the night."

"Huh...you managed to sense them? Hmm...being Hokage's apprentice must have its effect!"

"Yea, but the training is hell!"

"Try ANBU training and selection exams...Ugh...they're a bitch..."

"So I've heard."

Sakura got up from the arm rest and yawned while stretching. She turned to her newly met cousin and gave a tired grin.

"I'm gonna turn in early. I have training tomorrow early... well, as early as my always late sensei will allow."

"I'm gonna just hang out for bit here before I go to bed."

"Oyasumi-na sai then Ichigo."

"Oyasumi Sakura."

She turned towards the hallway and into her room, closing the door quietly behind her. Ichigo stared at the direction her cousin was and gave a small, pleasant smile before she turned back around and put on a thinking face. Her brows furrowed in thought, she recalled the incident back in the kitchen when she snuck up behind Sakura with the kunai to her throat.

**'That was interesting, wasn't it?'**

_'Yea... the way she reacted was... instinctive'_

**'I wouldn't say that exactly... but for a brief moment, she had that surprised yet crazed look in her eyes...'**

_'Like she was possessed? Definitely... But it only lasted not even a millisecond... no one could have noticed that...'_

**'Well obviously we could... it is our area of expertise!'**

_'What awareness? Not really, I'm more of a--'_

**'I didn't mean that, I meant...meh whatever...you're smart you can figure it out.'**

_'Oh... that...'_

**'Wow...that was fast...New record retard!'**

**'Okay, I'll stop for now... But yea, do you think she could have it?'**

_'She probably should have it. I think we should check for more signs though. That way, we'll be certain.'_

**'Oki doki then! I'm gonna sleep now! Kthanks!'**

_'Since when do you say Oki doki?!'_

**'-snore-'**

_'...nice...'_

* * *

"You know, you don't have to come. You're on break, you should take advantage of it."

"I am taking advantage of it...sorta..."

Ichigo was bored. Very bored. Actually, bored is an irrelivant word. Who could blame her though? When you're an ANBU nin that does nothing but mission after mission all the time and finally get a few days off to recover from a recent tradgedy, what is there to do? Thus, she had decided on accompanying her younger cousin to training.

The two kunoichi walked in step towards the Team 7 meeting spot, the bridge. One walking with a straight posture with her hands at her sides, looking forward, while the other walked lazily with her hands behind her head and gazing at the sky. One would read their body language and wonder if they really were related, but their physical appearances erased those doubts immediately.

"Huh, first ones here eh?" spoke Ichigo as they reached the bridge and she jumped on the railing and laid down on it, all the time keeping her balance. Sakura stood leaning next to her head with her hands folded in front.

"Usually Sasuke-kun is the first one, but sometimes I manage to get here before him."

"Sasuke-_kun_?...Wait, you don't happen to mean that Uchiha gaki?" At the last part, Sakura's eyebrow slightly twitched.

"Hai. The last Uchiha now since he finally managed to kill his brother Itachi."

"That's nice." she replied as she shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

The younger kunoichi stared blankly at her cousin as few random thoughts ran through her head. Ichigo, noticing her stare looked up at her from her lying position and raised an eyebrow.

"Nani?"

"Nothing mostly... I guess part of me thought that you would start judging him and degrading him because, like everyone else in the village, you know what he did. That, or maybe pull a fangirl act since it seems that every girl is still after him." Ichigo smirked at the last statement and turned her attention back to the sky.

"Iie. Unlike some other people, I don't judge others based on their decisions. I prefer to get to know them first. Unless their annoying me at the moment, then I'll probably call them an irritating idiot or something. Sasuke-_kun..._ (she said this part with a sly grin towards Sakura who just blushed and averted her eyes.) just did what his mind told him to do. I have no right to declare otherwise. Oh, and no... I'm not a fangirl...they're creepy and they _scare_ me!"

She shuddered as images of rampaging girls with hearts in their eyes running after random good- looking guys invaded her mind. Sakura just giggled as she noticed her cousin's frightened expression. She was about to say something about Ichigo's fear of rampaging fangirls when she felt another prescence approaching.

Sakura turned her head to see her raven-haired teammate walking towards them with his hands in his pockets, eyes closed, and head bowed forward.

"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun"

"Hn"

_'And there's his impressive one word answer... Oh joy...'_

The pink haired kunoichi gave a small smile for the boy as he took his spot on the opposite side of the bridge from her. He leaned back on the railing with his elbows to support him.

Sasuke opened his eyes to look from the smiling kunoichi in front of him, to the figure of a person who was lying on their side on top of the railing with their back to him. From physical structure, he knew it was a girl who had dark reddish-pink hair that grew out slightly past her shoulders.

Her out fit was quite similar to Sakura's old Gennin outfit but it had its differences. A sleeveless, black and purple-ish, zip-up, shirt that reached a few inches past her upper thighs and tight, knee-length, black, shorts under them. On the back of her top, there was a fire-like swirl with a tiger-like skull in it. Her weapons pouch was slanted around her waist like a belt, and her Leaf forehead protector was around her lower, left thigh, a few inches above her knee. Her shoes were much like Sakura's black, high boots but with the front part like the Sand shinobi sandals.

He stared at the girl with a questioning gaze as she shifted from her spot to stretch her arms. Sasuke took that chance to notice that her right arm had a set of bandages from her wrist nearly to her elbow, and her left had a fishnet glove that covered everything from her elbow down except her thumb, index, and middle finger. What caught his attention the most, was the ANBU tattoo on her left shoulder.

Sakura looked from Sasuke to Ichigo, and back in curiosity as a sudden tension filled the air.

_'Hmmm...interesting...She's acting like she's ignoring him to see what his intentions are.'_

_**-SNORE- **_

_'Or not...'_ Sakura instantly sweat-dropped when she heard her cousin's snores break the tense silence that had engulfed the bridge. She looked over at the sleeping ANBU girl and noticed that she had completely slouched herself on the bridge like a sloth on a branch. Sakura smacked her forehead before glancing back at her cousin who was probably making a fool out of herself without realizing it.

"...mmm...-snore-...evil clowns...-snore-...after...coffee..."

Oh man. That was the last straw. Sakura jabbed Ichigo's side with index and middle finger sending a small burst of chakra to awaken her. With a yelp, the elder kunoichi popped up a foot into the air and landed in a not so graceful heap on the floor. She quickly recovered and stood up to face her innocent looking cousin while holding her throbbing side. To Sakura's surprise, her face had the most stoic and calm expression that rivaled Sasuke's.

"Alright. Half of me says that I deserved that. I'm gonna go with that side and spare you my wrath."

Sakura's brow twitched as she noticed the tone her cousin used with her was firm and very commanding. Not to mention the fact that her eyes showed an extreme amount of killer intent.

Sasuke watched the scene unfold before him with his own brows raised. His curiousity about the girl increased as he heard the way she spoke to Sakura, but he wouldn't let that show.

"OI!! SAKURA-CHAN!! TEME!!"

_'Great Naruto's here...at least some of this awkwardness will leave...'_

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! ITS YOU THE ANNOYING GAKI!!!"

"OH CRAP!! THE PSYCHO POSSESSED SAKURA CLONE!!! AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

_'Or not...'_

Before hell could break loose, Sakura's patience broke first and the rest of team seven could've sworn they saw the devil standing behind her as she glared at Naruto and Ichigo with death in her eyes.

"Uhhhh...gomen Sakura-chan! Don't kill me please!"

"Umm...yea, what he said!"

"Hn"

The pink-haired medic simply sighed and shook her head at her knuckle-headed friend. She had to get things straight now before anymore situations like that could commence.

"Its fine."

"Demo Sakura-chan, who's the psycho chick?"

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that gaki."

"EH?! WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!"

_"Gaki, _dobe."

"Teme!"

_'-sigh-...or not...'_

"Naruto, Sasuke," she interrupted before they could start arguing, and pointed to the other kunoichi, "This is my cousin."

Silence.

"Sakura-chan has a cousin?!?! Why didn't you ever tell us?!"

"Naruto-" she glared with an evil voice.

"I'll be quiet now..."

"Hn. Dobe."

"As I was saying, I didn't know either until just recently. And she's gonna be living with me until who knows when."

"That's cool!" the blonde shinobi stuck his hand out towards the ANBU nin and gave one of his trademark grins. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto! The next Hokage! Dattebayo!"

"Hiya there gaki!" She smirked as she noticed his scowl when she took his hand. "I'm Ryu Ichigo. ANBU black ops nin."

"ANBU? Awsome!"

"Hn. Dobe. Should've noticed her tattoo."

"What was that Teme?!"

Before Naruto could retort Ichigo, surprisingly put a hand over his mouth and turned with a pleasant, innocent smile over to the brooding Uchiha.

"And what's your name Mr. Emo-boy?"

_'And she said she doesn't judge people...oh man... I hope this doesn't get out of hand...'_

"Hn. Uchiha, Sasuke." he stated cooly but with a proud tone to it.

"That's nice."

The raven-haired shinobi glared daggers at the elder of the two cousins while she just responded with and unwavering grin, unaffected. Naruto and Sakura exchanged quick glances as they stared at the silent competition between the two shinobi.

To everyone's amazement, Sasuke broke off his glare first after a few minutes leaving Ichigo as the victor of their "staring" contest. What they didn't notice was that Ichigo's innocent grin was now a smug smirk and Sasuke's left eye had a major twitching problem.

**'Mind Rape. Oh the fun we can have.'**

* * *

About an hour after the "staring" contest, Kakashi finally appeared in a puff of smoke with his latest copy of Icha Icha Tactics in hand.

"Yo!"

"YOU'RE LATE!!!" screamed two simultanious voices belonging to our favorite blonde and pink haired nin.

"Ah, well you see there--"

"LIAR!!!"

Kakashi sighed in defeat as he looked over his students and noticing an extra person among the group. Instantly, he poofed down behind them holding a kunai up to their neck with his right hand while his other rested in his pocket. Naruto and Sakura gave silent gasps as they witnessed his sudden move.

"I see you're still as skilled as ever. Eh Kakashi-sempai?" spoke Ichigo as she grinned.

"And you've improved since I last saw you." he responded as he gripped his kunai harder.

"I guess you noticed huh?"

"I'll admit it took me a bit longer than usual to realize it."

"Hah! Someone's getting old!" Ichigo smirked as she appeared behind the copy-nin holding a Kunai to his own throat letting the bushin in front of him disappear.

Kakashi smiled under his mask as the kunoichi removed her blade and placed it back in her holster.

"Woah! Hold on! You know Kakashi-sensei?!"

"Yea, I mean who in the ANBU wouldn't know him? Especially after the-- Mmmphh!!!"

Kakashi quickly covered her mouth as he gave his students a sheepish look (well as sheepish as you can look with a mask covering half your face).

"What was she gonna say sensei?"

"Oh nothing Sakura. Nothing important. Just whatever happens in the ANBU, stays with the ANBU. Right Ichigo?" He said the last part while giving Ichigo a stern look in the eye to which she nodded to.

"Right. Now about training today, its another D-rank from the Hokage."

At this, Naruto gave an exasperated groan, Sasuke merely grunted, and Sakura just sighed. Ichigo on the other hand broke out in full-blown laughter.

"Hey Hey! What's so funny?!"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!!! AW MAN!! HAHAHAHA!!!"

"Seriously Ichigo, what's wrong with you?"

"HAHAHAHAHA!!! D-D-D RANK?!! HAHAHAHA!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"...Hn..."

"EVEN EMO BOY!!? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! TOO FUNNY!!!!"

"Okay that's it!"

Before Naruto could rush at the currently decapacitated kunoichi, Sakura grabbed his collar and pulled him back. Then she calmly walked over to where Ichigo was turning different colors from laughing so hard.

"Wha-What?!! Sakura-chan?!"

"No worries Naruto. Just have to watch over my cousin. That's all."

"HAHAHAHAHA!!! NOW THEIR PISSED!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA---Huh?" She looked up to see her cousin standing over her with a dark expression in her eyes. As she looked deeply into her bright, jade orbs, she noticed that they darkened slightly and flashed at her. She could only stare as random images of a psycho version of Sakura beating the crap out of her entered her mind like wild fire.

Ichigo sat there in a daze as she stared at her cousin before an audible cracking of knuckles was heard.

"Oh shit." was pretty much all she could say before she felt a deep pain in her abdomen and flying straight up into the sky before plummeting into the water below the bridge. The rest of Team 7 noticed Ichigo's surprised expression as she flew in the air and cringed when they heard the splash that sounded more like a smack when she hit the water.

"Ouch... I actually felt that one."

"I agree with you there Naruto."

"Hn."

They failed to notice, however, that their pink-haired teamate was clutching her head in pain as she walked back to her team.

"C'mon guys, let's try to finish the mission quickly."

* * *

The mission proceeded easily and was mostly simple. All it involved was making a few deliveries, helping at a farm, and eventually clean-up at the hot springs. The hardest part would have to have been cleaning the hot springs especially since your friendly, neighborhood Ero-Sennin happened to have been hanging around collectiong "data" as he calls it.

By the time the group was done it was about time for supper and so they all headed to Ichiraku's for dinner- along with a still snickering Ichigo.

"So Ichigo-chan," began Naruto as he started on his 7th bowl of ramen, "why is it so damn funny that we had a D-rank mission?" She held back another giggle as she shrugged at him.

"Dunno gaki. Guess the fact that from sensing your chakras when we met, I figured you'd have more challenging missions."

"Well we would, but the teme here is still a Gennin!"

"Hn. Dobe, you're one to talk. You've yet to become Chunnin as well."

Naruto simply glared at Sasuke and 'hmphed' turning back to his bowl.

"Damn Sakura. And you have to put up with both emo-boy and the gaki daily? Its a wonder you haven't gone insane!" Teased the elder kunoichi. Sakura giggled slightly at the faces Naruto and Sasuke made when she said this.

"Yea, I often wonder that too."

"Aww Sakura-chan..."

"Oh yea, I promised Tsunade I'd deliver something to Anko for her. Ja ne." Spoke Kakashi randomly as he poofed away. Team 7 just raised a brow at his sudden actions as Ichigo had an all knowing, yet sly look on her face. Naruto, being Naruto, had to probe the subject.

"Okay, spill! What's up with Kakashi-sensei that you seem to know?!" Demanded the orange-clothed shinobi. The ANBU nin simply shook her head.

"Ah, my innocent little gaki, what happens in the ANBU, stays in the ANBU." She stated quoting Kakashi from earlier.

"Hmph...no fair..."

Sakura suddenly got up from her seat and grabbed her cousin along with her.

"Oh crap guys, I gotta go take care of some quick errands." She glanced at her cousin giving her a quick message with her eyes. "I'll see ya later guys!"

"Oh, okay! Bye Sakura-chan! Ichigo-chan!" Naruto waved at their retreating figures before turning to Sasuke. "Teme you're paying!"

There was no one there.

"AW C'MON!! NOT AGAIN DAMMIT!!"

* * *

"Wow, do you always do that to the poor gaki?"

"Not always. Sometimes we all pitch in to pay."

"I see."

The two girls walked back home passing the Yamanaka flower shop where Sakura introduced Ichigo to Ino and Shikamaru who just happened to be there as well. They had to leave quickly though because they managed to tease both Team 10 members about the smudged lipstick Ino was wearing and what seemed to be residue of that same lipstick on Shikamaru's lips. Said blonde-haired kunoichi got a bit too red in the face before the girls decided to leave. Those were good laughs they had, especially Ichigo.

When they reached their now shared apartment, each girl went to their seperate room for a good night's sleep.

As Ichigo lay in bed, she recalled the events earlier that day.

_'She definitely has it. The signs were there.'_

**'You think? I'm still a bit jumpy from most of those images! She can really strike fear into anyone if she wanted too!'**

_'Definitely. But she doesn't realize she has it. Let alone control it... I'm guessing it's been there for awhile since it was almost as second nature to her. It might've 'hibernated' for a bit till now.'_

**'Hmmm... We should keep an eye on it... If anything goes wrong while its "re-awakening"... things could get ugly!'**

_'Like what almost happened with me right? Heh... I think my old teamates are still traumatized from that... who knows...'_

**'Blah blah blah... I'm tired... sleep now!'**

The kunoichi gave one last smirk before finally closing her eyes and letting herself be overcome by sleep.

Back in Sakura's room around the same time, she sat up in her bed clutching her head in pain. She felt like someone was driving kunai into her forehead. The pain got intense and suddenly, as fast as it came, it left, leaving a panting and gasping Sakura. She brought her hands down as she leaned back in her pillow bringing the covers with her.

_'What was that headache just now?... It felt like the one I had earlier... except stronger... Am I getting sick?... What's happening to me?'_

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Woo! Another chapter down. And a long one at that! Damn! I spent almost all day typing this one!...well...I was distracted alot...whatever... Anywayz, what do you guys all think of Ichigo huh? If you all want, i'll make a short little profile of her in the next chapter! Tell me what you think! Oh, and reviews are much appreciated!**

**A munki for those who can guess what's wrong with Sakura! WEEEEEEE!!!**

**Ja ne!**


	5. Flashing eyes

**Hallo once more peoples! I'm updating! Yay! Finally! I've been wanting to write this chapter...but since school started, I haven't had time...yep... Its been nagging at me now to type it...so I gave in pretty fast! WEEEEEE!!**

**MUNKIS! To ****both ****CherryBlossoms016** **and** **Dreamergirl92813. You came close to guessing! X3.**

**Okay, then! On to ze story!**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

Sakura awoke the next morning feeling slightly dizzy and her head throbbing slightly. Her hair was sticking to her face as small beads of sweat covered her once large forhead. Sitting up in bed, the sun shining in her face, she massaged her aching temples.

"Ugh... my head... its still slightly sore... Hopefully it'll go away quick and save me some pain the rest of the day..."

"GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!!!" Yelled Ichigo as she burst through the door and jumped on Sakura's bed like a happy monkey, which caused the girl to bounce up a foot from impact. (**AN: Lol that was me this morning to my bro!**)

"STOP YOUR FRIGGIN SCREAMING YOU ASSHOLE!!!"

Sakura quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide as if she just uttered an instant death to the world. On the other hand Ichigo sat with a slightly surprised face that slowly turned into a miserable looking frown. She stared at her cousin with her eyes drooping.

"... that was seriously uncalled for..."

"...g-...gomen..."

The pink-haired nin bowed her head in apology and starting cursing at herself in her head. Ichigo narrowed her eyes at her, scanning her muttering figure as she noticed that the kunoichi began to rub the back of her neck unconciously. The ANBU inwardly smirked. _'Hmm... This is gonna be... interesting!' _

The pink haired nin looked up to see her cousin with a small smile on her lips. She raised an eyebrow in question as the older girl hopped back from the bed and folded her hand behind her back bending forward. Her smile turned into an odd yet goofy grin.

"Its no problem! I shouldn't have done that anyways, but I was just... _curious_."

Sakura stared back at her cousin as she said the last part mysteriously. The silence around them turned tense and it made the kunoichi feel awkward. It didn't last though.

"I made breakfast!"

The ANBU struck a Gai-like pose and the medic fell out of bed with a giant sweat-drop forming. She got up and pointed a stern finger at her cousin who laughed at her freaked-out expression.

"NEVER AGAIN!"

Ichigo continued laughing as they left the room and continued towards the kitchen for some food. When they reached the dining table Sakura noticed something very peculiar and random, looking at her cousin with a blank stare.

"Why are you wearing long-sleeve pajamas when its only summer?"

"What'd you say?"

"You're wearing long-sleeved pj's when its not winter."

The ANBU girl was wearing baggy, long black pants and a pale, purple long-sleeve shirt that hid her hands. Sakura on the otherhand had a red tank and black shorts that went to her knees.

"Huh? Oh... Well, I won't have to use a blanket and incase someone tries to attack me at night, I won't be struggling to get untangled by my sheets... I toss and turn in my sleep like a crazed person, heh."

"I guess that's smart to do."

Ichigo shrugged as both girls began to eat their, now cold, breakfast. When the younger of the two finished, she offered to take the dishes to wash and strolled over to the kitchen to begin the task at the sink. The elder kunoichi watched her cousin's every move as she washed and dried plates before putting them away in drawers.

_'How about another experiment?'_

**'Sounds good to me!'**

The ANBU stood from her seat and walked over to the medic nin who was kneeling in front of a low cabinet and rearranging the pots inside to add another. Ichigo, subtly using her stealth, appeared behind Sakura, reached out, and tapped the back of her neck-- very close to a specific pressure point.

The minute the pink-haired nin felt a finger poke near that point, she snapped her head behind her so fast that it's a wonder how she didn't get whiplash. The older nin had her hand frozen and outstretched with her index finger about to tap her once more while she stared into the younger nin's eyes. Sakura's light, jade orbs had flashed into a deep emerald and were narrowed down into a threatening glare that caused Ichigo to unconciously shudder. The tension had become so thick that you could probably cut the air in half with a kunai.

"Something wrong?"

Immediately the awkward air was lost and Sakura's eyes regained their normal hue of jade as she reached up and clutched her suddenly throbbing head. She slowly stood up wincing as an odd dizziness began to nauseate her.

"Augh...My head... I feel dizzy..."

"Maybe you should go lay down. You might be catching something so be careful."

"I feel fine... Just a headache... Nothing more."

"Whatever. Just take it easy for a bit until it leaves."

Sakura nodded slightly as she walked out of the kitchen leaving Ichigo to finish stowing their plates away.

**'That was a surprise! NOT... Though we know the seal point now.'**

_'What seal point? Wait- she has one?'_

**'...Hai... You giant baka...'**

_'Well sorry for not noticing...'_

**'No worries baka!'**

_'...Anyways... Did you get a hint of the location?'_

**'Damn right I did! Unlike someone here, I'm aware!'**

_'Oh you're so modest... So where is it?'_

**'Neck pressure point. It was pretty obvious cuz you tapped on there and it was instant, but brief release... Wonder why its there though...'**

_'Oh I know! Maybe some bastard broke her heart or spirit and came up behind her when they left her and hit her there knocking her unconcious thus breaking her heart even more which caused the seal point to form over the years until it now!'_

**'...You have a very random imagination that it's scary and I honestly don't believe a word of that... You actually sound depraved!'**

_'Hey! Its fun to pretend it was like that at least! But yea, I guess it sounds farfetched... Ah well... we might never know...'_

The kunoichi shook her head to relinquish her thoughts as she headed back to where her cousin lay on the sofa resting her head, not knowing how true her imagined situation was.

* * *

Ichigo had followed Sakura later that afternoon to the bridge once more to check if team seven had any training plans for the day. Kakashi came late once more with his usual excuse and was recieved with Naruto and Sakura's usual complaining. The ANBU could've sworn she smelled Anko's distinct scent on Kakashi, but ignored it anyway. 

They had practice sparring that day, so Ichigo sat up in a tree while Kakashi fought Sasuke and Naruto fought Sakura in two evenly spaced clearings in their training grounds. She observbed how similar Sasuke's and Kakashi's fighting styles were and noticed how Naruto would depend mostly on clones for almost every attack. The ANBU paid most attention to her cousin who seemed slightly faltering in her techniques more after every attack. She seemed to have a very low supply of chakra for some odd reason.

_'The incident this morning... It had to have taken its toll...'_

Sakura was getting tired, fast. She felt as though she had just left all day training with Tsunade, which was really weird. Naruto began landing more and more hits as she felt her speed and defense fall leaving her feeling weak. One hit in particular caused her to fall back onto a hard patch of grass, feeling an impact from her neck to her upper-back. It was then that she felt her head begin to throb once more and her vision become blurry. She shut her eyes in pain as a cloud of darkness swept her mind.

The pink-haired kunoichi staggered to get up as the blonde shinobi quickly held back his attacks and dropped his stance. He looked at Sakura with worry and confusion etched in his eyes as she reached up and grabbed her head, pink bangs covering her eyes. Naruto saw her clench fist-fulls of hair as though she was in serious pain, which was sort of the case.

"Oi Sakura-chan! Are you okay? You want to take a break? You seem really tired!"

"Shut. Up."

The fox-boy froze as her voice rang with a cold, icy tone. He began to tremble when she looked up revealling listless, emotionless eyes that seemed to have turned a darker shade of green. What he noticed the most though, was a tiny, black dot in the center of her forehead that reminded him of Tsunade's age-jutsu mark.

"S-Sakura?"

Before he could even finish, the kunoichi had sent a barrage of kunais that pinned him by his clothes to the large tree behind him. Poor Naruto looked like he had just wet his pants and was starting to panic at his situation. He looked up to see Sakura's mouth start curving into a malevolent smile that sent the fox boy straight into super-panic mode.

"OH KAMI-SAMA!! DON'T KILL ME!!!"

* * *

Kakashi and Sasuke paused in midfight as they heard Naruto's cry ring out around the forest around them. Sasuke's expression turned into a smirk as Kakashi chuckled lightly at the wails from his student. 

"It seems like Naruto has pissed Sakura off with something again."

"Hn. Sounds like the Dobe is panicing more than usual today."

"We should probably check on them and see what happened."

"They can handle it."

"I see you're a bit more eager than usual to fight today, eh Sasuke?"

"Hn."

The two Sharigan wielders continued their match, dismissing the Kyubbi holder's pleas as the usual arguement, unknowing that they were true cries of desperation.

* * *

Ichigo, on the otherhand, watched from her perch in a nearby tree the exchange between Naruto and Sakura. She narrowed her eyes at her cousin who was begining to crack her knuckles as she approached the blonde shinobi. From closer inspection, she noticed that her eyes were once more, a dark shade of emerald like the incident that morning. 

**'This can't be good. Looks like it's released. Poor gaki.'**

_'No... It's not out. Just managed to flare. A well-aimed Kai should break her.'_

**'Give it a shot then. If not, throw a rock. It'll work and it's funny!'**

The ANBU focused up just the right amount of chakra and aimed it directly at Sakura as she made half the 'ram' sign with her right hand.

"KAI!" she yelled in a low voice as she released the built up chakra that hit the pink-haired nin with full force.

Sakura's eyes widened as she felt the dark curtain that had covered her vision lift and reached up quickly to hold her pounding head. She staggered forward, panting, while trying to shake the feeling of mischief that had entered her mind and slowly looked up to see a panicking Naruto who had anime tears falling down his face. Sakura, now a bit recovered from the initial blow raised a confused brow at the boy who had his head down and was mumbling random thoughts out loud.

"Don't kill me... I dun wanna die... I haven't eaten ramen today... I promised Hinata-chan I would go out with her tonight... I still haven't become Hokage..."

"Naruto?"

"I wanted to see Kakashi-sensei's face before I died..."

"Naruto."

"I wanted to beat Sasuke-teme a few times..."

"Naruto!"

"I don't wanna die a virgin..."

"NARUTO!"

He snapped his head up when he heard the kunoichi cry out his name in her final attempt to shake him from his thoughts. The blonde nin looked at Sakura with a mix of fear and curiousity as she stood with one hand clutching the side of her head and the other at her side, afew of her veins bulging from irritation.

"S-Sakura-chan? Are you feeling... better now?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm fine."

"..."

"...uhh... Do you want me to heal your cuts now?"

"SAKURA-CHAN I'M SORRY!"

The fox boy burst free from his pinned state and embraced the pin-haired nin in a friendly bear hug crying anime tears once more. Sakura stood the dumbfounded at her teamate's behavior and just awkwardly patted him on the back as he cried out apologies. Ichigo just laughed to herself from her tree as she watched them.

**'This day keeps getting funnier and funnier doesn't it?'**

Finally, Naruto released Sakura after she began choking from his death-like grip on her. Apologizing once more, he gave her one of his trademark smiles as she gasped for breath.

"It's fine Naruto. I forgive you... (_for what I don't know_)"

"Heheh... Thanks!"

"But, if its not a problem, can I ask what happened that you were like that?"

"Eh?! You don't remember Sakura-chan?!"

"Remember what? I just blacked out for a moment, got a headache, and see you pinned and crying on a tree! If I did, I wouldn't be asking."

"... You did that Sakura-chan..."

The kunoichi just stared at him with an extremely confused expression as she tried to search her mind for answers on what really happened. She came out empty of any and just shook her head as she proceeded to heal his minor kunai cuts that were already starting to fade due to the Kyubbi's chakra. The fox boy still wasn't convinced.

"Ne Sakura-chan, are you sure you're okay?

"Hai Naruto. Don't worry anymore. I'm fine."

She gave him one of her real, friendly smiles and lightly bopped him on the head earning a laugh from the boy.

"Okay! Just checking."

* * *

A little while later, after Sakura finished healing Naruto then herself, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared and recieved a bit of her treatment as well. It was at that time that Ichigo popped down from her tree post and joined the team for lunch before they headed their seperate ways. 

Leaving with Sakura, they made their way to the Hokage tower where the pink-haired nin had to file some mission reports that Shizune had previously asked her to do for her with Tsunade. Upon arriving though, they found the hot-tempered Hokage sleeping peacefully with her head on her desk. Her apprentice dared not wake her for fear of losing her hearing and thus, Ichigo ended up helping her busy cousin in the task.

"Ugh... This is honestly boring... Why are we doing this again?"

"Because Shizune-sempai asked me to. And I'm not taking any chances by waking Tsunade-shisou so you're going to be a nice cousin and help me."

"You suck..."

Sakura just sent her a hard glare as the older nin simply stared back impassively. Suddenly, she felt her the back of her neck tingle where her pressure point was located. Reaching up, she rubbed the spot lightly as her vision flashed.

"W-what?..."

Ichigo looked up to find her cousin subconciously massaging the area around her pressure point that was on her neck. She stared for a bit and sighed as she went back to work.

**'Better do something about that soon to save her some trouble.'**

_''Yea, yea... I'll take care of that before the day's over... if I ever get this crap done...'_

With one last glance at her cousin, Ichigo resumed filing reports as Tsunade stirred in her sleep.

"Silly Jiraiya -snore-...tampons are for women..."

_'OMG!'_

_'WTF?'_

**'LOL!'**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**WOOHOO!! Finished! Took me three days to write this chapter... Got interrupted all the time and I would've had it up by Saturday... Ah well, at least it gave me a chance to play around with some of my ideas before I came to final decision on this chapter. Hehe, I have to admit, the ending was my favorite in this chapter. I just happened to be watching a Trix commercial and that just popped into my head! Lmao! Gotta love Tsunade's drunken dreams! **

**Btw, anyone read Ch. 367 of Naruto? I knew it! **_**(spoiler warning!!)**_ **Yondaime is Naruto's father!! Minato Namikaze!**

**Okay then, next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it!**

**Ja ne!**


	6. Emerald orbs and random comments galore

**Finally! SWEET FREE TIME!!...ugh...I was piled head to toe in homework this past week that I'm wondering...why did I decide to update again?... Then I think...Its not nice to leave readers waiting! That, and I promised myself I would finish this story. I have it finished in my head...its just a matter of writing it down...I never get enough time...But I'm trying guys! I love my readers and this is all for you guys!... And partially for me to get off my lazy ass and do something productive...yep...munkis people...munkis...**

**Meh...enough of my sober words! Time for story!**

**Disclaimer: Ichigo is half mines and the other half belongs to my friend!... If I owned Naruto, do you guys think I would be writing this as fanfiction?...maybe...MUNKIS!!**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

"My eardrums feel like some idiot just Katon'd them over a thousand times...No wonder you left her alone..."

"I warned you and you insisted. That's what you get."

"... You suck..."

The pair of cousin kunoichis were making their way home after finishing filing reports in Tsunade's office. The elder of the two constantly rubbing her ears as a ringing sound kept consuming her hearing. Sakura giggled slightly watching Ichigo make faces as her sense of hearing kept faltering.

"Like I said before, Tsunade-Shisou doesn't like to be woken up, especially when she had been working and engulfed herself in sake."

"Alright already I heard you the first hundred times! Sheesh! I just had to do it! She kept saying very... _disturbing things!_"

_FLASHBACK_

_"No Orochimaru...-snore-... leggo my eggo... -snore-... go rape Jiraiya or something... I'll take pictures... -snore-... like I did with Sasuke and Naruto... sell for gambling munny... and sake... -snore-... Yaoi brings all the girls to the yard... damn right...-snore-"_

_END FLASHBACK_

"I guess you learn to ignore it after awhile."

"She was squeeling like a fangirl! Did I forget to mention that I'm scared of fangirls?! NO I DIDN'T!!!"

Sakura had to cover her ears slightly as Ichigo screamed the last part right in her face and gave a quick glare at her cousin before continuing towards their apartment. The ANBU stood there momentarily sulking before turning around and dashing back to her cousin who was already opening the front door.

"You are a very evil devil-lady you know that?"

"And if you keep up those rude comments, I see no dinner in your future."

Ichigo was about to retort when she noticed her cousin's challenging smirk and instead opted to just shut her mouth in defeat.

The kunoichi duo stepped into their home and immediately plopped down on the sofa, two simultanious sighs escaping their lips as the day's events caught up with them. Unconciously, Sakura bagan to rub the back of her neck once more which caught the attention of her cousin. Ichigo narrowed her eyes as she stared at her cousin before suddenly standing up, startling Sakura, and making her way to her room.

After about a minute, she came back holding a roll of bandages that many nin use to wrap their bodies and such in. She unrolled most of it and walked up behind Sakura who immediately tensed from her actions.

"W-what are you doing?"

"I'm going to wrap your neck a bit.You keep rubbing it as if something's irritating you."

"I don't need it! I'm perfectly fine!"

Sakura stood up from her spot on the sofa and faced her cousin with a hand going up to grasp her neck. Ichigo sighed and shook her head before staring at her cousin with a commanding seriousness that she hardly ever uses.

_'Great, I'm gonna have to do this the hard way and make her suspicious. Well, she's gonna find out about it eventually. Man, this is starting to tick me off'_

"Sakura, you have to wear as a precaution for now. Just go with it. Don't argue."

"But-"

**'DIDN'T WE JUST SAY DON'T ARGUE?!?!!'**

Sakura bit her lip as she noticed her cousin's eyes flash to a darker, almost black, green and glare straight into her own orbs. Suddenly, Ichigo dropped the bandages, removed her headband from her thigh, and tie it around her forehead before picking up the bandages once more. The medic had to stifle a gasp as her cousin's sharp gaze held her in place and shuddered as she spoke in a cold, icy tone.

"Don't. Argue. Put. It. On."

Hesitantly, Sakura nodded and turned around so that Ichigo could tie the wrappings around her neck. She made sure to cover that certain pressure point that was the main irritation point to her cousin's rubbing.

"Done."

The younger kunoichi turned back to face the older one and looked up at her. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her curious stare. Sakura could only help but wonder why her eyes had become so dark.

"Ano..."

"Hm?"

The medic shook her head and looked down at the floor as her bangs covered her eyes. She walked over towards the kitchen.

"Nothing... I'm just gonna make dinner. Is miso okay with you?"

"Yea, sure, whatever."

_'Be nice! It's nice to have a home meal instead of always having to buy something!'_

**'Yea Yea... Save it.'**

Ichigo let herself fall back onto the sofa, which proved to be a bad idea for she had forgotten that she a was standing afew feet away from it, thus earning her a good bop on the head from the sofa arm.

"FUCK!"

She sat up and rubbed her head, a string of colorful curses flowing from her mouth. She felt the material of her Konoha headband and removed it from her head, held it before her, and began to scrutinize it.

"Stupid piece of... grr... I thought you were supposed to be a 'forehead protector' or something and yet you protect nothing! You shall pay!"

The pissed ANBU heard a snicker and took a glance towards the kitchen. She saw Sakura holding a hand up to her mouth to stop her laughter. Ichigo twitched and re-tied her headband to her head, face turning almost as dark pink as her hair from embarrassment.

"STOP MOCKING ME!!"

Sakura stepped out of the kitchen laughing as she balanced two bowls of miso in her hands. Both kunoichis, one laughing and the other pouting, took their seats at the dining table and ate dinner.

* * *

The next day, Ichigo finally had to return to her ANBU duties leaving Sakura alone for the day to do her own work. As usual, she arrived at the bridge to wait for Kakashi and was surprised to see that both Sasuke AND Naruto at the bridge were there already. 

"Ohayo Sakura-chan!"

"Ohayo Naruto, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

"Naruto, you're here early. What's the occassion?"

"Nothing really. I just woke up early today and wanted to get through with training dattebayo!"

"Really? Then what's that cute little stuffed frog doing out of your pocket?"

"Ah...well..." His face was turning red and seeing him like that made something tightly bound in Sakura loosen. She gave a mischievious smirk that went unnoticed by the foxboy.

"Ne Naruto, is it a gift for somebody?"

"Ano... I-its... h-h-hai." His face was redder. Her eyes were darkening.

"Oh? For who pray tell?"

"... It's for...um..." He was tomato red. Her eyes were dark jade.

"For?"

"H-H-Hinata-chan..." Brick red. Light Emerald.

"Hinata-_chan_? You're a fast worker Naruto. A girlfriend?"

"AH! She's not-... well... I want her to... No! But we're not... maybe... Dattebayo?" He reached crimson red. Her eyes reached dark Emerald.

Sasuke was (though he would never admit to it) confused. Here was his pink-haired teammate, who never butts into another person's business or smirks for that matter, harrassing his usually loudmouth, obnoxious teammate who loves talking about his oh-so-glorious life, into a nervous break down. **What. The. Hell?**

He glanced at Naruto who was poking his two index fingers together, imitating the shy Hyuuga hieress, and had his whole face crimson red. Then he let his gaze wander over to Sakura who was brandishing a very mischievious smirk that he had never seen her use before. Sasuke's eyes slightly widened when he looked into her own orbs. Her usual bright, jade orbs, were a dark, deep emerald that made his skin crawl. To him, she seemed possessed.

"Sakura."

The great Uchiha felt himself slightly shudder as the kunoichi simply, without moving her head, shifted her eyes ever so slowly and menancingly towards him, her grin falling into a stoic expression. Part of him felt an odd sensation of nervousness consume him as he stood as the target of her possessed gaze.

"What do you want, _Uchiha_?"

Now this was a surprise. She never, ever, not in a million trillion years called him Uchiha! It just wasn't right! Hell froze over a thousand times in his mind. Being a stoic avenger and not one to show emotion, Sasuke simply raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a look that might as well have read "Who do you think you're calling Uchiha?" To which she slightly tilted her head to the side as she crossed her arms and responded in an annoyed tone.

"What's your problem?"

Oh. My. Gawd. She did not just talk to him that way. Let alone sound like she was completely and utterly annoyed by him. He went into all out glare mode to which she responded with one of her own. Their stand off did not go unnoticed by our favorite, loudmouth, blond-haired nin who still had a tinge of redness on his cheeks. Can anyone hear an long awkward silence coming on?

POOF!

"Yo!"

Guess not.

"YOU'RE LATE!!!"

"Well you see-"

"LIAR!!!"

Kakashi sighed as he was once again refused a right to explain his tardiness by his two students. But hey, who could blame them?

"I see we're lively once again this morning." He chuckled as he made his way down from his perch on the high bridge supporters.

"Hm? Are you injured Sakura?"

Said girl snapped her head up to her sensei as Sasuke got a second glance into her eyes. They were bright jade once more. Weird.

"Nani?"

Kakashi pointed to her neck where she had the bandages her cousin had tied around her neck as a 'precaution' to which she had no idea what she meant by it. She reached up to touch the white wrappings and a slightly thoughtful look crossed her features.

"Ano, Ichigo told me to wear it because I kept rubbing the back of my neck. She said it was some sort of precaution. Though I don't get for what."

"So she didn't tell you what it was for?"

"Iie. Just said not to argue with it."

"I see."

The Jonin narrowed his eye ever so slightly in thought.

_'Hmm... This means I can expect something interesting from her. And an explanation from her cousin later.'_

"Oi Kakashi-sensei! Are we gonna train today? Any missions for us? I'm ready dattebayo!"

Said Jonin crinkled his only visible eye up in amusement as his blond-haired student pumped a fist into the air for emphasis.

"We have a few D-ranks today. You'll probably get done before lunch which is in about two hours."

"Aw man... Oh well, at least I can still beat the teme!"

"Hn. Dobe."

The missions were done according to Kakashi's prediction. The managed to pull off at least 7 D-rank missions in two hours and arrived on time for lunch at Ichiraku's. After everyone pitched in to pay (to Naruto's great relief for not having to be tricked into paying again) Kakashi poofed off somewhere, and Naruto made his way towards Team 8's training ground to pick up Hinata for another date, leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone to decide how to spend the rest of their day.

"So, Sasuke," said boy innerly winced (where'd the -_kun_ go?) "are you going to train?"

"Hn."

"Thought so...-sigh-... I guess I'll go help at the hospital today."

As she turned to leave, Sasuke caught her wrist in his hand, immediately stopping her from her actions. Slightly surprised and curious, she looked into his eyes and could've sworn she saw worry in his onyx orbs. Uchiha Sasuke worrying? Nah, her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"Sasuke?" (No -_kun _once more?)

"You're acting strange today Sakura."

"What? No I'm not."

"Hn. You glared at me this morning, harrassed Naruto, and during some of the missions, you made the most random comments."

"I did?"

_FLASHBACK_

_"This tomato seems good enough to throw at someone eh?"_

_-_

_"Ow... paper cut... my blood's mixing with this mud... hmm... mud and blood... mudblood... that's fun to say! mudblood mudblood mudblood mudblood mudblood..."_

_-_

_"This dog is so fluffy, I bet your chidori can puff up its hair and make it look like a sea- urchin."_

_-_

_"I wonder if I throw this can on Naruto's head, it'll bounce off, and fall into your recycling basket?"_

_-_

_"I have an urge to conveniently place that rake where your walking so when you step on it, it'll smack you in the face."_

_-_

_"Duck butt? Nah. Chicken butt is more like it... Scratch that, your hair is definitely like that of a cockatoo."_

_END FLASHBACK_

"I have no idea what you talking about." she deadpanned.

Sasuke had to resist the sudden urge to smach a hand to his forehead (he had to keep his stoic compusure as an ice prince) and yell at her. He searched her eyes for any trace of false truth but was slightly surprised (more like shocked, but would never admit to it) to find that she was telling the truth.

"You really don't remember anything?"

"Not that much. Most of the day, I felt like I was in a strange daze. It's probably from lack of sleep or something since I'm always helping out Shisou all the time after training."

She chuckled and gave a tired smile.

"I'm fine. I think I just need some rest. I should probably go now Sasuke. (he slightly winced from lack of suffix) I could use some rest."

"Hn."

He walked by her in the opposite direction from his place causing the pink-haired nin to raise a curious brow.

"Ne Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Isn't your house in the opposite direction?"

"Hn."

"Um... Oh...kay."

"I'm walking you home."

She stared a bit dumbstruck before slightly shaking her head and walking side by side with the Uchiha as they made their way to her apartment. Stopping in front of her door, Sakura tunred her back towards Sasuke as she fumbled around her weapon's pouch for the key.

As she was turned, Sasuke took a good look at the bandages around her neck- specifically, the ones covering the pressure point he knew oh so well. He narrowed his eyes at the spot as he felt a slight chakra concentration in that area and couldn't help but start to slowly reach up to touch it. Sakura, feeling a sudden warmth approaching that specific spot felt herself begin to reel in and out of a sudden daze. Before he could lay a figure on her neck, she had turned around so fast that she had to have gotten whiplash.

Sasuke blinked as her stared into a pair of omnious, pools of emerald once more. She was looking at him like one would look at a disgusting being. The way the villagers used to look at Naruto. The way he last gazed at Itachi. The way some villagers were now looking at him.

"Go. Away."

It wasn't asked, it was commanded, and he just obliged with an oh-so-clever retort.

"Hn."

Sakura watched him walk away before she stepped into her apartment and slumped over on the sofa. A few minutes passed as she lay in that position before she quickly opened her eyes and bolted up in her spot. She looked around the living room with a confused expression.

"Huh? How did I get in here so fast?"

She felt a slight headache forming again and then the back of her neck started pulsing which momentarily blurred her vision. Shaking her head few times, she got up and made her way to her bed where she undressed into her pj's and snuggled into her sheets. before drifting off into sleep Sakura looked out the window to see the sun still very high in the sky.

"I'm tired. That's all. I'm fine. Just a lack of sleep..."

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Woo! Done with another chapter! Yay! I'm hoping to start the action by the next chapter, but I'm still not exactly sure about it. Anywayz, review are much appreciated and make me happy! So please do! I still can't believe I've actually gotten this far with this story. I thought I was gonna stop at the 4th chapter... I've proved myself wrong!...Is that good or bad?...Munkis...**

**Ja ne!**


	7. Explaining her mind and blood

**Yay! Update! Aren't you all glad? -insert cricket chirps here-... does no one love me? -cries-... lol... Like I said before, an update! Finally! I always have to do so much crap during the week... damn marching band... Ah well, that's what I get for loving music. Yep. Still, I try to update once every week- preferably Saturday. I usually start typing the chapter up Saturday and finish it either Sunday night, or Monday afterschool and after homework... yep...**

**Just curiousity making me ask this- Why do you guys want to know about Sakura so bad? I mean, I'm not gonna give anything away until I get to that part of the story. Or is the story really that interesting? Just curios you know. I've never had such big responses like this before. Anywayz, much thanks to you reviewers! You guys are really encouraging!**

**Enough with my ramblings, time to move on to ze story! MUNKIS!!**

**I like-a-da munkis!**

**Disclaimer: Only partially own Ichigo. If Naruto was mine, then... -insert evil cackle here-...X3**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

Ever since Ichigo had tied the bandages around her neck, Sakura had begun to get weird feelings every now and again. When she would finish working a long shift at the hospital, an excessive amount of sudden relief would burst from her, or when Naruto or Ino went off on one of their rambling sessions her annoyance meter would skyrocket for a brief moment. Spontanious outbursts were starting to become a normal habit of her's. At times, she would actually wonder if she was PMS-ing, and after a quick bathroom break, she would mentally slap herself for her idiocy.

Not only that, but after every little "break" in her mood, Sakura felt like someone had driven a kunai through her head and attached an exploding tag to it for extra effectiveness. The worst was the after effects of the sudden explosion in her head. Many times, the jade-orbed kunoichi felt herself become so tired to the point of collapse- which she only did once at home when Ichigo barged into her room, half drunk. She ended up unconcious and face down on the floor with her cousin who had also passed out from her drunken encounter.

Sakura had tried multiple times to interrogate her older cousin about the purpose of the bandages. Something told her that they weren't just there for comfort. Everytime she tried to argue, though, Ichigo would avoid the questions with some excuse or other which left the medic nin frustrated. One way or the other, she was going to get the information from her because it was obvious that the ANBU knew what was wrong.

It was a few weeks after her first outburst towards Sasuke that the chance for questioning arose once more. The ex-avenger and his ex-Hebi members were finally off their probation status and free from all such restraints. Team 7 (including Sai who had returned from a month long mission a few days before) decided to celebrate at a different restaurant than their usual Ichiraku's. The group was half way through ordering when they were joined by Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo, each of which (except Juugo who maintained a gentleman like composure) proceeded to bark out orders to the waitress. For the most part, the meal was rather enjoyable with all the company, even Sasuke could say that he was having fun, but all fun things must always come to an end- whether it be with a random arguement, or with a sudden squeeling fangirl attack. Unfortunately, it was both.

A group of fangirls had burst into their celebration after spotting Sasuke's mass of chicken-butt hair from the restaurant window. Squeeling like dogs who had just been given a canine version of catnip, they surrounded the table where they were seated at and managed to fully irritate the dark-haired shinobi in under a millisecond. Too bad they hadn't realized that they managed to tick off two more innocent victims who were immediately bullied due to their closeness to Sasuke. Karin, taking the initiative, went into full on "I'm-a-hardcore-bitch mode," and started beating the snot out of all the fangirls claiming that the ex-avenger was hers and only hers. Unbeknowist to her, she had managed to further piss off Sakura (who was already twitching from the first blow to her mood- aka: the herd of ravaging fangirls) and Suigetsu for some unknown reason.

When she sat down and glomped poor, molested Sasuke, Suigetsu began making the most odd complaints that he would never make ("I don't know what you friggin' see in that bastard!") and ended up getting a heated arguement with a flustered Karin. It was dangerously close to nuclear-explosion point for Sakura, for one could say that the room temperature rose a couple extra degrees around her body. Then, without much warning, the arguement raised a few levels in volume marking the end of the medic's good mood.

Suigetsu and Karin could well claim that they saw the fiery pits of hell that day and lived. Naruto could say he learned a few new colorful words that he had never even dreamed of saying. Sai and could say that he had finally felt the true emotion of sudden horror and the need to go to the bathroom. Kakashi, Sasuke and Juugo could very well claim that even they had been never better at describing the many killing ways of two people. And Ichigo, who had managed to come just in time to somehow knock out Sakura without touching her, could agree that she had saved their lives without anyone realizing it.

She managed to convince everyone that her cousin was stressed out to the point of irritation where she would snap. This earned her a few questions on why the pink-haired kunoichi (who was now slung over her shoulder unconcious) was so stressed. The excuse? Simple.

"IT'S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH."

No further questions. No further complaints. Just an unnatural urge to cringe and twitch. While they were occupied on that, Ichigo took advantage of the situation and poofed back to their shared apartment and unceremoniously dropped the girl onto the sofa.

* * *

A few hours later, Sakura awoke with a hangover like head-ache and actually checked her breath to make sure whether or not she had any sort of alcoholic beverage. Nope, none, and yet, no memory of anything beforehand. She looked up and spotted Ichigo sitting across from her with her arms folded in a commanding manner, but with a face that clearly read: "I feel so bad for you and how the hell am I gonna get out of this."

"Feeling like shit right?"

Sakura nodded but winced as the action brought another spark of pain while Ichigo let out a long sigh. "Figured as much."

The medic nin looked at her with a million questions running through her eyes causing the ANBU to raise a hand to massage her temple.

**'You should probably explain before she goes off again.'**

_'Urusai! I know that...'_

**'Hmph...'**

"A-Ano Ichigo-" she was silenced when the older kunoichi raised her hand to stop her.

"Okay, I know what you're going to ask, and I know I can't get myself out of this one. Besides, I probably shouldn't have kept quiet about it since now, it's come back to bite me in the ass."

She looked at Sakura straight in the eye as she shifted her body into a sitting position from the sofa.

"Sakura. What I'm about to explain to you is very important and you will not interrupt me at all through out it. You can ask questions when I'm done and please don't freak out from what I'm about to tell you. I've had enough problems today which include saving your ass from attempted homocide."

Said kunoichi's eyes slightly widened but nevertheless, she nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Sakura, in the blood from our mothers runs a kekkei-genkai that only the females of the Haruno clan inherit. Its rare when a male gets it but that's another story. My mother had it, your mother has it, I have it, and you Sakura, are awakening it _again._"

She paused to look at her cousin who had her eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar, but was still paying full attention. She continued on ignoring that funny picture now plastered in her mind.

"Our ability is that of a second being or personality within ourselves. One may call us two-faced, but that is-for the most part- incorrect. This being is a spirit of what we truly think and feel that we tend to unconciously lock away in our minds. It is something that all Haruno females tend to do for some reason or another, I honestly don't know."

"When unleashing this,_ Inner Self_, as it is usually called, our chakra stores get a boost based on the length of the release. We pretty much run on pure adrenaline that no soldier pill could ever match, but it is a controlled rush. The downside of this though, like many clan jutsus, is that when relinquishing this jutsu, you could very well passout from exhaustion, and of course, your chakra will be depleted for awhile. Why do you think I sometimes collapse in my room after a long ass mission?"

Ichigo stopped once more in her explanation to get a good look at Sakura who was slightly less shocked and seemed to be in a slight daze.

**'I think you've explained enough to let her ask questions for further elaboration."**

_'I haven't heard you talk exactly sensible in a long time... This is a surprise.'_

**'...huh? say what?'**

_'...nothing...'_

Ichigo raised a hand to rub her temples slightly from irritation before returning to her speech.

"I guess that's most of what I can tell you right now. You can start asking questions 'cause I might be able to better elaborate on this subject that way."

Sakura let out a deep breath that she had been holding for awhile. She looked straight at her cousin who slumped forward in her seat into a more comfortable position. She didn't know what to really ask, but then again, she had a million questions that needed answers. Well, she had to say something at some point or another.

"How did you know about this trait in both you and me?"

"Hmm... Well, my mother told me about mine when the signs popped up. And, I found out about yours when those same signs appeared."

"What are those signs?"

"Well let's see..." she sat up in her seat as her brows furrowed in thought. "You start to have surges of chakra when someone catches you off-gaurd like when we first met. Your eyes start to flash into a darker shade of color- yours turn dark emerald, mine turn an almost blackish green, throbbing headaches become an often part of your day- this is only during awakening though, (she added when she noticed Sakura cringe) a black dot appears on your forehead everytime you... how should I put this... blow your top, and last but not least, you have random moments that you never realised you had. That's about it."

Sakura bowed her head, deep in thought as Ichigo wracked her memory for any other symptoms.

"What about my okaa-san?"

"...Um...What about her?"

"Why did she never tell me about something as important as this?"

"Well, it's simple really. She just didn't see any symptoms in you. The blood can skip generations, and from what I heard, our grandmother didn't have it. Also, as weird as it sounds, sometimes it's best to learn about something after it starts happening."

Sakura nodded silently as she rubbed her neck to sooth a slight itch. Her hand passed over the rough material of the bandages and her head immediately snapped up in wonder. Ichigo noticed this and gave a quick sigh.

"Lem'me guess... What are those wrappings for?"

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded as Ichigo let out another long sigh.

"Guess that question was inevitable... Oh boy... How am I going to put this in easy terms without freaking you out anymore..."

"I won't freak... I promise."

Ichigo looked at her straight in the eyes. Then nodded in understanding.

"Alright... You have a rarer case of 'awakening.' This is called a _seal-point_. It usually forms after a major event in your life that not only affects you somewhat physically, but also emotionally. If the event had never happened, your kekkei genkai would have developed rather normally- as in, I wouldn't be explaining this to you now cuz you would already know about it and how to use it."

"What do you mean?"

"This blood-line starts appearing around the age of 12 with a lot less pain than what you're facing now. You probably would've mastered it by now too. Unfortunately, due to 'trauma' of some sort in your life, a part of your body has reacted to your _Inner's_ awakening, causing it hibernate until a certain moment when that same part is in a somewhat similar situation of the experience. That part has become the _seal-point._"

Sakura's eyes widened as realization smacked her across the face and she clenched her hands into fists as memories of an unwanted occurance flashed through her mind.

_FLASHBACK_

_"If you go, I'll scream!"_

_"Sakura... Thank you."_

_END FLASHBACK_

She held back tears as the words echoed through her head and she felt the back of her neck pulse slightly.

"I-Ichigo..."

"Hmm?"

"W-what... Do you know where my seal-point is located?"

"Hai. You probably figured it out didn't you? Well, it's on the back of your neck- your pressure point to be precise. If anybody tries to touch you- let alone attack you there while your Inner is reawakeing... let's just say, I'd rather not be that poor soul."

"...I see... One last question."

"Fire away."

"When will my Inner finally finish 'waking' and what will happen then?"

**'Oooh...Tough one... Are you gonna tell her the whole truth?'**

_'It's best if she knows.'_

The ANBU gave a long sigh and leaned forward in her chair with her elbows propped on her knees and her fingers laced in front of her, reminding Sakura very well of a raven-haired Uchiha in her team.

"I will not lie to you. There are two ways for your Inner to finish the process. The first one is a lot less... troublesome. It will most likely appear on and off in your mind like its been doing lately, until it just stays there. Then, when you've got the hand signs and chakra formation down, you can start executing the switching jutsu."

After taking a quick breath, she stared deep into Sakura's eyes, as if borring into her soul.

"The second condition of awakening... Is not one that you nor I would enjoy going through. In this case, similar conditions are met for the seal-point's release. When it releases, your mind would most likely be swallowed up by your repressed emotions for a certain spawn of time- it usually depends on how hard the area was affected. If the time is more than 12 hours, you become endangered of losing your mind to your Inner. In other words, you become an Inner, while your Inner becomes the Outer you. This is permanent except for the times when you are allowed to be released which is when the jutsu is in effect."

Sakura stared on with horror as million images of an overly emotional version of her taking over her body while she, herself could only let herself be consumed by a dark pit of nothingness. Before she could dwell anymore on the images, she was snapped out of her trance by her cousin's voice.

"Though there is one way to fight back and re-dominate your mind. Though you will need the ones who are closest to you, which do not include family members, to help you. It will take a lot of chakra out of you though, and it will probably make you end up in the hospital for a few days, which is never fun."

Ichigo looked up and noticed that her cousin was still in shock from what she heard and seemed to be extremely anxious. With a small, reassuring smile, she reached out and put a hand on the younger nin's shoulder.

"Don't worry Sakura. I highly doubt anything like that will happen to you, and if in any case it does, I will know. Trust me."

The younger kunoichi nodded her head slightly as she gave a smile in response to her cousin.

"I-I know... It's just hard for me to take all of this in. Heh... I guess I should go to bed now then. I have no more questions... And I think I've heard enough for today."

"Alrighty then Oyasumi na sai." Exclaimed Ichigo as she and Sakura stood up to make their ways to their own rooms.

"Oh, an by the way, just as a warning, don't freak out when you start hearing a voice in your head complaining or conversing with you daily. You're not going insane."

**'Like your are?'**

_'Urusai or I'll lock you in the disturbing memories closet filled with evil, fuzzy, pink, squirrels!'_

**'Noes!!! Teh Horror! Ibequietnow!'**

Sakura giggled at Ichigo's random expressions while she argued with herself, and went seperate ways as she stepped into her room. She changed into her pj's, hopped into bed, and let herself drift into a semi-sweet slumber.

* * *

The next morning, Sakura awoke to find a note on one of her kitchen cabinets from Ichigo. Finding it odd, as usually, Ichigo told her beforehand if she had a mission or not, she peeled it from its place and read it quietly to herself.

_Sakura,_

_I've just been given an emergency solo mission to do. It won't be long cuz all I have to do is deliver a scroll to a nearby outpost around the border. Right now, its barely 5 am, so I'll probably be home a little after lunch, so don't wait up for me to eat. I'll see you then._

_Ichigo_

_P.S. Watch out with that temper of yours. I don't want another accident like last night._

"And I was going to ask if she wanted to train with me today since it is one of my few days off. Ah well."

Shrugging it off, she strolled over to the bathroom and started to prepare herself for the day.

* * *

It was a few minutes after 10 when Sakura stepped out to the training field that her team used most of the time. She sat down in front of one of the three stumps that were lined in the center of the field, closed her eyes, and went into a deep concentration. She always meditated before training. It was something she had learned to do from Tsunade for as she said, it helped to increase your focus in chakra control. So she sat in a trance as the wind blew by and the birds chirped their morning tunes as they flew in the sky.

It was an hour into this meditation when her concentration was broken by a familiar chakra signature approaching. She felt a dark shadow creep over and shield her from the sunlight. Opening her eyes, she saw a the silouhette of none other than the brooding ex-avenger himself, Uchiha Sasuke. He was looking at her with that same stoic expression as she helped herself off the ground.

"Ohayo Sasuke."

"Hn."

_'Sigh... He'll always be the same.'_

"What are you doing here? Planning on training?"

"Ah."

"I thought you had your own training area back in your house."

He looked away as an irritated scowl made itself visible on its face. Sakura could only giggle as she noticed how his hair was slightly messed up than usual. He glared at her from the corner of he eye.

"Fangirl attack again?"

"Hn..."

"I see. Well, since you're here, you want to spar?"

Sasuke turned to look at her and gave a single nod before taking a defensive stance, letting his Sharigan activate instinctively. Sakura did so as well while she began fitting her gloves on.

"Let's go all out. I'm in the mood for a hardcore challenge!"

Sasuke simply smirked at her eagerness before dodging a punch aimed at hit chest. With Sakura taking the quick initiative to start, he had to bob and weave through her barrage of chakra filled fists. Stomping on the floor once to break his stance, the kunoichi made a new crater in the ground that caused the shinobi to jump back and land with his feet on the bark of a nearby tree. Pumping chakra into them, he launched from his body through the air and somersaulted over the girl and tried to landed with a swipe kick.

Dodging the swipe, Sakura flipped back in the air and launched a storm of kunais and shurikan as Sasuke poofed into a log. Realizing it was a subsitution jutsu, she jabbed her elbow back in an attempt to catch the ex-avenger in the ribs, who as predicted, appeared behind her. He managed to grab onto her arms and lock them behind her when she attempted to jab her other elbow at him.

Using the momentum already gained in the jump, he flung her down towards the ground as she poofed into a log as well. He felt the ground shake as he landed and managed to escape an uppercut to his chin when Sakura burst from the earth. He took this as an advantage and lifted up his leg to kick her as she attempted to block with her arms up in an 'X' over her chest. Since she was still in mid air from her ground burst, she didn't get a chance to grip the floor with her feet before the blow hit. Thus she was sent flying backwards into a set of trees.

"AUGH!!"

Sakura cried out as her back made impact with the bark of a rather bumpy oak tree. Sasuke, realizing what he had just done, ran over to the now collapsed girl who was trying to raise herself from the floor after breaking through at least 5 trees. He hovered over her form for a moment as he checked to see if she was unconcious or not.

Her breath was even and strained. _'Definitely out cold.'_ He thought to himself as he unconciously brushed a lock of pink hair behind her ear. He frowned silently to himself.

_'For someone so strong and tough, I managed to take her out easily. Usually she puts up more of a challenge for me. I sense her chakra levels are low. Strange. Last night...'_

He stopped and stared at the kunoichi as he recalled the incident the night before. The fangirls, Karin's glomp, Suigetsu's remarks, and then, the feeling of total hell. Her cousin had suddenly shown up and broken that 'spell' that was Sakura's anger. How? He didn't know. All he was feeling at that moment was an extreme pressure in the room that was most definitely not Karin's hug.

_'It felt like her chakra had sparked to a high degree. Like it had increased tenfold. Odd. Today, it's simply ower than usual. Could it be recharging from last night?'_

Sasuke brought his attention back to her figure on the floor, his gaze immediately snapping to the wrappings on her neck. He reached out a hand to stroke the material as his eyes widened slightly once more.

_'These wrappings seem to be blocking her chakra slightly. Like a seal almost. Why would her cousin tell her to wear something like this? It's weakening her from the looks of it. Maybe I should remove it.'_

He lifted her head slightly so he could gain better access to her neck. A very soft, hardly visible blush made its way onto his cheeks as he stared into her serene face where strands of her bubblegum, pink hair framed her cheeks angelically. He hesitated momentarily as he shook his head free from anymore mushy thoughts.

Breaking the wrappings down the side of her neck, he quickly rolled them back up and put them in his weapon's pouch for analysis later. He glanced back down at her neck and immediately noticed what the bandages were actually covering. It was that spot. That damn spot. The point that broke her heart. The point that allowed him passage out of the village. The spot that severed his bonds with her. He was looking at the pressure point he had hit when he had left for Orochimaru and the one he used to knock her out cold and place her on that forsakened bench.

Sasuke glared at it. The skin there was slightly red and pulsing, but he wouldn't notice that. He was caught up in his memories from that day. Oh how he regretted to betraying his team. Killing Itachi left a hole in his life, one that wouldn't close. A non-healing wound. She was right. He was not satisfied.

The raven-haired shinobi shook his head as the words she spoke to him that night kept repeating in his head.

_"I love you with all my heart!"_

They were haunting, and yet, he had always treasured them in his heart. They always rang in his head when he was in trouble or when he was about to give up. Oddly enough, he felt like they gave him strength. It was like Naruto had told him, true strenght comes from the heart and protecting those he loves. He could never forget that.

"Sakura..."

He looked upon her lightly breathing figure. She had done so much for him, and this was the only thing he could give her all the time. He reached out a warm hand that hovered over her neck.

"Thank you..."

Suddenly, as Sasuke let his fingers carress the skin around her pressure point, there was a sudden spark of chakra emitted. Jerking his hand away as a surge of powerful chakra ran throughout her body, he got to his feet and backed up from her glowing body. Sakura was waking up, but with an extreme, maniacle aura that was overwhelming him.

He looked on in slight horror and amazement as she stood slowly with her chakra expanding out of her. The way her head was bowed and how her arms hung limp at her sides reminded him of the time he and Naruto fought in The Valley of the End and he had unleashed the Kyuubi's wrath upon him. It was something he would never want to experience.

"Haaaaaaaaa...hehehehehe..."

Sakura slowly raised her head as she looked upon the Uchiha in front of her. Sasuke could only gulp once he was able to see her face.

Dark emerald orbs full of mischief and emotion stared back at him. She smirked widely making her face look even more crazed. He caught a glimpse of something flashing above her and when he looked up from her eyes, his breath caught in his throat.

On her forehead was a deep, black tattoo that read a single word written in kanji:

_**INNER**_

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Woopie! Finished! Wow...this actually took me longer than expected... Damn... Longest Chapter I've ever written... For this story that is...Damn... Anywayz, I guess I finally gave something away. Sakura's special condition is finally revealed! W00T! Now to start writing the next chapter, which btw, happens to be my favorite for various reasons! Yay! Munkis!!**

**It might take me longer than this one though. Not just because its long to type...but because... I'm doing another little project with my friends. (-cough- Jackass3 -cough-ourversion-cough-) yep.**

**Oh and as a little beforehand anouncement, when I'm done with this story, I'm thinking of starting another story that me and a friend were talking about one day and it came to mind. I'm still thinking about whether I want to do it or not. The idea seems a bit overused, but I'll see. Reviews are encouragement! And flames are okay- ONLY if their to help me on my writing! Not on couples or saying you friggin hate the story and such. I don't like people who do that. Its like they are bent on discouraging everyone. See you in the next chappie!**

**Ja Ne!**


	8. Let the insanity begin

**Back once more! Yes! I feel happy! X3 Yep. I've had this chapter and the next planned for ages- mostly months before I even decided to write this story. lol... yep. It all started from a random conversation I had with some of my friends one morning in my English class during a firedrill. I don't really remember how it all started out, but we just ended up discussing almost all the stuff that's in this chapter and the next. So I pretty much used that memory as a basis for my writing. We're all still laughing about that conversation (not only for this subject but for some other stuff we included in the discussion) and sometimes decide to add more to it. Its great that something so randomly brought up can make a pretty good story. At least I hope its a good story. Tell me what you guys think!**

**Enough blah, more writing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But Ichigo is half mines...I feel so poor...XP**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

_On her forehead was a deep, black tattoo that read a single word written in kanji:_

_**INNER**_

"Hehehehe..."

Her laugh brought shivers up Sasuke's spine as he stared, slightly wide-eyed, at the girl he once thought was annoying and weak.

_'What's wrong with her? And what is the meaning behind that word on her forehead? Is this really Sakura? No... It can't be her. This intense chakra can't be her's! It has to be an imposter who's somehow disguised like her. But why did my sharigan miss that?'_

His stare turned into an intense glare as he watched the being in front of him. Sakura simply raised a hand up to her eyes and flexed into a tight fist, smiling maniacley as some sort of realization dawned on her.

"...I'm...free...SHANARRO!!!"

Sasuke could not contain his shock any longer as her words rang in his head.

_'Shanarro... Sakura's own words... So, this is Sakura? No way!'_

"Well, if it isn't the bastard who did it!"

He was snapped out of his thoughts as this "Sakura" addressed him. He looked up to find her glaring so intensely at him, that he had to supress the urge to hide in his own hand-made hole in the ground. She took a few slow, but threatening steps towards the Uchiha as she retracted her unleashed chakra back into her body. She stood firmly right in front of him as he re-kept his stoic gaze upon her.

"You heartless bastard." Her glare wavered as tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes. "Why... Why did you..."

"Hn."

Uh oh. He just pushed a very sensitive button. Sakura glared eternal death at Sasuke. Then, out of no where, she bowed her head as the sound of soft laughter was emitted from her.

"Forget it... You'll always be a heartless asshole...but you know what?"

Sasuke could only raise an eyebrow in time before he felt a rather large fist on his stomach and suddenly found himself flying backwards straight into a set of trees.

"Fuck. You."

Sakura stood there, emotionless, with her fist still out-stretched as she watched him fly. Turning around, she heard the multiple crashes as he broke down a few trunks here and there, but she paid no attention to that as she looked out towards the village. A slow, evil-looking smile graced her lips once more.

"Inner Sakura is out, so it's time to show what this kunoichi is all about!" **(AN: Lol that rhymes!)**

* * *

"Wuh?" 

"I-is s-somthing wrong N-Naruto-kun?"

"Hmm... I don't know Hinata... I just got thing really weird feeling that something... I dunno...Scary?... Is coming our way... Pretty silly huh?"

"N-not really. I felt s-something like that too."

"Oh... What do you think it is?"

Hinata slightly shrugged as Naruto scratched his head in slight confusion. He could've sworn he just felt a sudden surge of powerful chakra somewhere, but it disappeared before he even had a chance to confirm it. Strangely enough, it felt familiar somehow. Now that he thought about it, he's pretty sure he heard a small explosion in the distance.

_'It could probably be some other leaf shinobi training with exploding notes maybe...'_

_**'Hehe... You are quite foolish Kit. An explosion? Hehe...'**_

_'Oh yea, then what do you think it was you damn fox?'_

_**'Well wouldn't you like to know? Hehehehe...'**_

"Naruto-kun?"

"Huh, what? Sorry Hinata-chan, I guess I was distracted momentarily."

Hinata nodded her head before giving a light gasp as she felt a slightly strong chakra approaching. Something about it though, seemed very odd to her. It felt familiar, and yet not familiar at all. Weird.

"Byakugan!"

Her pale eyes sprouted veins as she activated her blood-line trait. She almost faltered when she realized who it was that was approaching them.

"S-Sakura?"

"Eh? What about her? Is she okay?"

"Hai, but that weird chakra...it's coming from her."

"Are you sure? Maybe it's just Ichigo-chan. They do have really similar chakra patterns."

"Iie. I'm certain. Sakura-chan has an odd aura to her."

Naruto glanced out towards the direction where the chakra was approaching in deep curiosity. Sure enough, there she was, his fellow teammate, strolling calmly to the unsuspecting couple before her. Something was off though. Very off.

"Ohayo Sakura-chan!"

"Oi! How's it going Naruto-chan, Hinata-chan?"

"Heh, I'm-"

Whoa! Freeze frame. Since when has Sakura ever called him 'Naruto-chan' or called Hinata 'Hinata-chan'? She was giving off one of his trademark grins too. Oh yea. Something was definitely off here.

"Who are you and what have you done with Sakura-chan?!" He pointed an accusing finger at her as he brought Hinata closer to him unconciously.

"Naruto-kun! Her forehead!"

He looked up and noticed the black kanji neatly printed on her forehead. Naruto, being Naruto, had to comment on the first thing that came to mind.

"Ne Sakura-chan, did someone scribble on your forehead?"

* * *

Sasuke stood up from the rubble of trees he had previously been buried in. He had spent almost half an hour trying to get out from under that pile, 10 minutes of which, he was knocked out. He stretched his aching limbs and felt a burst of pain rocket through his abdomen. He lifted his shirt slightly and sure enough, there was an enormous, red, fist-shaped bruise on his stomach. 

_'Kuso! I shouldn't have let my gaurd down like that...'_

He glanced at the mass of fallen trees behind him and scowled deeply. He felt a pang of guilt hit him as he recalled her words to him earlier.

_'I need to find Sakura. She has a few things to explain.'_

Sasuke looked out towards the village before he closed his eyes in concentration. He needed to locate her chakra.

_'Not anywhere nearby, nor is she in the market area. Maybe she's-'_

His thoughts were cut short as a bone-chilling scream echoed through the morning wind. It sounded like the scream of a certain, familiar, loudmouth nin. Great. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Sasuke stopped in a clearing near team 8's training grounds and couldn't contain the amused smirk tuging at his lips. Oh if only he had a camera. 

There before him was a very smug looking Sakura who was poking Naruto with a stick as he swung upside down, tied to a tree crying waterfalls of tears, but with a very dark-red blush adorning his cheeks. Hinata lay fainted under him with a nosebleed and her face as red as tomatoes.

Sakura was the first to sense his presence and tossed the stick frustratedly to the side as she straightened herself up to face him. She turned her back to the upside-down shinobi and glared. Her voice was cold and she spoke indifferently to him.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't mister I'm-a-total-asshole. The hell you want Uchiha?"

"Hn."

When will he ever learn.

"If that's all you have to say, then. Fuck. Off." A nice one-finger salute was attacthed to the message.

It was at times like these that he always wondered why he had the habit of neglecting simple orders as such. It could really save him some time. Not to mention his ear drums and maybe a few broken limbs here and there. But that was never in Sasuke's personality. Instead, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes into an emotionless stare. Too bad the newly formed tension could barely hold as a certain fox boy snapped out of his crying daze.

"SHE'S REALLY POSSESSED THIS TIME TEME!!!"

Naruto began struggling in his ropes to escape but Sakura had made sure he wouldn't be able to. He began cursing as he noticed his unconcious girlfriend and blushed once more as he recalled the embarrassment he was put through.

Poor Hinata. Her innocent mind was no match for those disturbing images of Naruto and her... doing things... that only adults do... married adults... and certain types of people... Yep, that's a large mental scar.

"Teme! Help me get down! She made it escape proof!"

"There's no such thing as that, but I guess I did tie it on too tight." Sakura smirked as she pulled out a kunai and threw it blindly over her shoulder, slicing through his bindings and allowing him to fall in a messy bundle on the floor. She dusted her hands off and chuckled. "I've had my fun here."

She turned to go but stopped when a kunai flew right by her face. It was close enough for her to feel the wind of its speed brush her cheek.

"Who are you?"

Sakura turned and stared at the raven-haired nin, Naruto crouched next to him waking a flustered Hinata. The blonde-haired nin looked up at her with a confused but serious face.

"Are you really Sakura-chan?"

A brief moment of shock passed through her features as she moved her hand to her forehead, fingers brushing over the printed letters.

"Yes... and no." Her hand passed to the knot of her hitai-ate and undid it. "But you see..." She removed it from her head. "...The real question here is." She brought it up to cover her forehead and the kanji, tying it into place. "If she really is me."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, Hinata gasped lightly, and Naruto-

"Am I the only one who doesn't get a crap of what she just said?"

-ruined another brief break of tension.

"Heh. Baka." Sakura paused as a mischievious smirk played on her lips. "Well for once, I can agree with Sai. Nicknames are fun! Isn't that right Baka?" She smiled at him before glaring over at Sasuke.

"Though you'll only get 'asshole' from me."

Sasuke had to hold back the sudden twitchy feeling he got in his right eye and glared in return. Hinata clung to Naruto as the pink-haired girl let out a low chuckle. The Kyubbi vessel couldn't take it anymore. If this was really was Sakura, then what in Kami's name had happened to her?

"Sakura-chan... What's wrong with you? What was with the word on your head? You're eyes are different too! What happened Sakura-chan?"

She looked from Naruto, to Hinata, glared at Sasuke, then returned her attention to the fox boy. She smiled at him.

It's funny how a simple smile could show so much emotion in a person. She held so many feelings in that one gesture, but the most noticeable was that of heartbreak and sadness. Before any of them could call out to her, she disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossom leaves.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto felt torn seeing her that way. He couldn't take it. He hugged Hinata closer for comfort, before he looked up at Sasuke who was still staring at the place she once was. He could see the hidden emotions building up inside him through his eyes. Pain, anger, irritation, and what's this? Regret and...Admiration?... Nah, his mind was playing tricks on him...again.

"Sasuke." The ex-avenger looked up. Uh oh. Naruto was calling him by his name only. Not a good sign. Well, for him at least.

"I know you had something to do with this. You gotta help her. Find her. Try to get her back." He noticed the expression on the dark nin's face and scowled. "I know you don't want to. But I think only you can get her back to normal. Please. Sasuke."

He stood there with a blank look on his face. He sighed softly, before looking at the blonde-haired boy who stared intensely back. Hinata, just sat there watching their silent exchange, blushing faintly as Naruto hugged her slightly tighter. Finally, it seemed as though Sasuke gave into the other boy's will.

"Hn. Dobe." And he poofed back into town.

Naruto could only grin in approval as the leaves settled.

"Thanks. Teme."

He turned back to the girl in his arms and had to blush at how close he was keeping her to him. Oh the images. He had to figure out how Sakura had managed to just look them in the eyes and suddenly create many disturbing images of both in... certain adult- rated situations. It didn't feel like a genjutsu to him. Even Hinata had agreed on that. But with this new Sakura, one couldn't tell.

When he stared into Sakura's eyes, it felt like he was having a staring contest with her. Much like the time when Ichigo and Sasuke were staring each other down. To his surprise, Sasuke had turned away first from Ichigo who seemed to have--...Did a light bulb just turn on?

"..."

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata, I think we need to find Sakura-chan's cousin. Ichigo-chan has to know something."

The Hyuuga hieress nodded as both immediately took off in search of the older Sakura look-alike.

* * *

Somewhere in the forest surrounding the village, a girl wearing an ANBU uniform and tiger mask sneezed loudly. 

"Fuck!" She stopped and removed her mask as she wiped her face with her sleeve. "Aww shit! Eww!! It's freakin' dripping snot! Bleh! Fucking got all over my face! Ugh!"

Oh geez.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Konoha, Team Gai, or at least the three youngest members were, for once, lounging around in a park near the Hokage monument. They had serene looks on their faces as they enjoyed one of their few days off from constant training. Well, at least two of them were actually relaxing. 

"Hey Neji, you should seriously lay down and relax! I mean, even Lee is enjoying this break from all the constant work we do!"

The Hyuuga prodigy ignored Ten-Ten as she lay on her stomach with her arms cradeling her head. Lee looked up from his sprawled position on his back and smiled at the other boy.

"Yes oh dearest Neji-san! Our youthful spirits need to rejuvinate once more! And for that we must take advantage of this fresh break of youth and rest!"

Neji really wanted to meet the guy who originally gave Gai-sensei the so-called "Power of Youth" idea and kill him ten times over. If he was already dead, he'd really hope he was being tortured in hell. But he banished the thoughts, for thinking sadisticly like that would probably make him end up like a certain Uchiha hier.

He cringed at that last thought. Eww. No way in hell.

"What ever. Leave him alone Lee. It looks like he's just gonna sit up like that the whole time."

"But Neji-san must surely feel the rays of youth engulf him and-"

He quickly shut out their arguement as he felt the sudden presence of some very strong chakra. Something about it was oddly familiar, but he couldn't find out what. He quickly glanced over at his teamates who seemed to have not noticed anything due to the fact that Ten-Ten was holding Lee in a tight head lock. The poor boy was turning a nice wide array of colors from the lack of oxygen.

"Ten-Ten. Lee." Both looked up at him in alarm as he spoke to them in a mysterious tone.

"I sense something... Omnious approaching."

They could only cringe as a soft, but very evil-like chuckle drifted to their ears.

"Wassup homies!"

Oh good gawd...

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Cliffhangers are such a dandy way to torture people. Bwhahahaha... Anywayz, Yay! I finished!...After like an effing week of writing... Ugh... Damn writer's block only allowed to friggin' write a sentence or so each day. Sigh. Ah well, at least I finally finished this chapter. Personally, I like the part where Ichigo sneezes. I mean, hasn't anyone ever wondered about an ANBU sneezing while wearing their mask? That must really suck. I mean, it like someone sprayed snot on your mask and sometimes it bounces back and hit you in the face. And if it was really tight and pressed onto your face then...ewww...Now that's really nasty... **

**Plz review! It makes me happy and tells me that I'm doing good!**

**Tobi: Tobi is a good boy!**

**Exactly!! Munkis!**

**Ja ne!**


	9. The first victims with more to come

**YO! Updating time! WOOT!...okay, enough random cheerfulness...I will admit, today, I spent the whole effing day bored outta my mind...So I started to write this chapter! Yay for motivational boredom!...or is that bad? Meh...I dun care...I likes this chapter, its so much fun to see how badly one can torture so many people! -laughs maniacly-**

**Disclaimer: Munkis to all you narutards...and non-narutards...I like pie.**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

"Who are you and what have you done with Haruno Sakura?"

"Yare, yare. As I recall, a certain lazy ass, genious would call this situation troublesome."

Neji glared at the girl before him as Tenten, who had immediately poofed behind her after she greeted them, held a kunai to her back. Lee stood behind the Hyuuga prodigy in a defensive stance keeping a close eye on the kunoichi he had always pledged his undying love to.

"This is most unyouthful! You are not my beloved, cherry blossom Sakura-san! She is full of youth unlike you!"

Lee had to hold back from twitching as he watched the kunoichi before him hum a random tune while she busied herself with cleaning her ear. Neji and Tenten could only sweat-drop.

"Are you even listening oh unyouthful kunoichi who has stolen the look of youth from my beloved Sakura-san?!"

"Huh? What now? You say something bushy-brows?"

He could only bow his head in defeat as anime tears rolled down his face and he began muttering random stuff like "Oh Gai-sensei! I have failed you!" and such.

"Tsk Tsk. Personally, I think old school is the way to go."

Neji and Tenten just stared at her with looks that most probably read 'the hell is wrong wit'chu?!' Sakura merely snickered at their expressions and kept watching the still bawling Lee.

"Heh. This is almost as funny as watching the poor Baka die of humiliation and mind scar."

"Baka?"

"Yep. It was funny! But this isn't funny at all."

In the blink of an eye, Sakura had grabbed Tenten's wrist that was holding the kunai to her back, pulled her forward, and using the slight momentum gained, flipped her on to the Hyuuga prodigy. The kunai the weapon mistress was previously holding was twirling innocently on the medic's pinky.

Sakura looked at the fallen pair in front of her and began to snicker. Tenten looked over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow and irritation present in her eyes.

"Wow Ten-chan! I never knew you were so bold! WOOT!"

"What are you-" The weapon mistress froze. Something felt really weird. She moved her hand and felt something... slightly bulge. She looked up at Neji to see him blushing like a maniac. She looked down to see her hand... Oh. My. Gawd.

"I'll have to tell Hinata that she can be expecting possible neices or nephews soon. Someone here is really itching to get down and dirty!"

And for once in Tenten's life, she can truly admit, she knows how it feels to be Hinata. And too bad for Neji, for now he learned how it feels to be slightly helpless with a fainted girl on him and her hand still... Yea, you get the point.

"Oi! Bushy brows! I'm gonna teach what real youth is! Now stay still!"

* * *

Sasuke was confused. Wait. Was that even possible for an Uchiha like him? He looked around and found himself _once again_ in the middle of the park he had been previously searching through. Oh yea. Definitly possible. 

_'Kuso! Her chakra appearance is the most spontanious in revealing itself!'_

He had already spent half an hour following random sparks of Sakura's chakra. She had kept it concealed and Sasuke would rely on his Sharigan to find any trace of it. When he would sense a sudden surge in one part of the village, he would immediately bound off to investigate. No sooner would he arrive there, than another flash of it would appear on the oppsite side of the town. It went off at the most random of moments, and the poor onyx-eyed shinobi was becoming infuruiated with the pattern.

_'I gotta calm down and try this aga--'_

There goes another spark.

_'Fuck!'_

Great. Now he had to turn around and--

Another surge to the right.

_'What the hell?!'_

It's a definite and proven fact- Uchiha Sasuke can get really confused.

* * *

"Man Akamaru, is today dull or what?" 

A large, white dog barked in approval as the owner reached over and scratched behind its ears.

"If you are so eager to find something to do Kiba, may I suggest going to the Hokage for a mission?"

"Nah. We just went on one yestarday Shino. It was dull too. Man, we haven't gotten any real missions lately!"

Shino pushed up his glasses slightly as they continued walking down the streets of Konoha. Their training was cut short today mainly because of the fact that they had nothing to really train on for the day. Their sensei, Kurenai, had not left them any notes on what they should probably work on. She had started giving them daily training schedules since the moment she was deemed too pregnant to train them. After the baby was born, she could go and supervise their training a little better since Ino and Shikamaru would volunteer to watch the child (being that it was a favor to their deceased sensei Asuma).

Today, she had not been able to set anything up for them for a simple reason: her babysitters were on a mission and no one would be able to watch the child.

Thus, Hinata had departed to meet her crush, and Kiba, his dog Akamaru, and Shino sparred for a bit before deciding to take a small stroll around town.

"Hey look!"

Shino and Akamaru glanced towards where Kiba was pointing his finger. A figure was hopping from rooftop to rooftop in a hurried fashion and they seemed to be looking for something.

"Oi, isn't that Uchiha?"

"It appears to be so."

"Hmph. What's with the rush?"

"Perhaps he is late for training or has just recieved a mission call."

"Looks kinda suspicious...Let's follow him!"

Both shinobi and the nin dog pump chakra into their feet and immediately launched themselves onto the roof of the nearest building, before coming to a complete halt.

"Eh Sakura?"

"Oi! Dog-boy! Bug-man! Let's play a game!"

* * *

Naruto and Hinata were at Sakura's apartment knocking on the door loudly. Well, Naruto was for that matter. 

"Oi! Ichigo-chan! Are you there?! We need your help!"

The couple had spent at least ten minutes debating on where to look for the ANBU girl before deciding that checking on her shared apartment would be the best first choice. Once they arrived there, the blonde had busied himself with knocking on the door, and twenty minutes later, had recieved no answer. Unfortunately for the neighboring apartments, he had not let up on knocking.

"Naruto-kun. S-She might not be home."

The boy stopped his pounding fists (to the relief of the neighbors) and brought his had up to his chin in a thinking manner.

"You know what Hinata-chan? I think she's not home!"

She could only give him a small smile for his idiocy.

"Ah! I know! Let's go see Baa-chan! She'll know!"

Well, at least he could think for himself most of the times.

* * *

He wanted to believe that this was all just a cruel, cruel dream. One of those dreams that you hope to foget and never remember, let alone even think about sharing to others. Hyuuga Neji was not tied down to his female teammate. He was not holding her like a married man to his wife. He was not blushing a million shades of red. And he most definitely was not being laughed at by his rival clan's own Uchiha Sasuke. 

He was defnitely in denial.

"U-u-uchiha." Great. Now he was stuttering. Even worse, the bastard has a smirk on his face.

"Hn. Hyuuga."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Oh dammit! Some help would be much appreciated!!!" There goes his dignity. Well, at least the little bit that was left from his previous ordeal.

"Hn."

Sasuke split the chakra strings that bound Neji's arms around Tenten's waist and the one that held his right hand right over her butt. Then, he quickly snapped the rest of the strings that pinned him to the ground, allowing for the Hyuuga boy to pick himself and the fainted girl up from the ground. He nodded his gratitude towards the Uchiha, although somewhat hesitantly and brushed the dust off his robes.

"Sakura was here." It was a statement to which Neji nodded and raised a brow.

"Was that really her though? She seemed like a completely different person. I may not know her as well as her teammates, but she was never one to pull something quite like this."

"Aa. Sakura... had an accident."

Neji's brow furrowed in thought as he watched the Uchiha heir shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Before he had the chance to question him on the matter, a very 'youthful', and familiar voice drifted towards their ears.

"YOOOO! Neji! Sasuke! Wassup?"

"Lee why are you--"

"..."

If anyone had a camera at the moment, they would probably take a million and one photos of the scene before them, make copies, and put them on their myspace (for we all know how serious myspace is). Both the Hyuuga prodigy and the Uchiha heir were stunned beyond their wits for there before them, stood the one and only, youthful shinobi, Rock Lee. The only problem was, they couldn't make out a rat's ass on what happened to him.

The once Gai-sensei look-alike was now dressed in a pair of long, past knee-length, baggy, blackish-grey shorts that had wallet chains sticking out from the right pocket and a loose green belt. He wore a green, sleene-less jersey with black stripess on the sides and on the chest area it read in bold letters 'HARD WORKER' and under it in smaller letters- 'If you know what I mean.' His hitai-ate was tied around his neck on a silver chain and a white head-band was messily wrapped around his now, _spikey_ black hair. His leg warmers were gone and arm bandages had been replaced with white pads on his elbows and on his left arm was a black sweat band. An silver earing adorned his right ear, and 2 white rings were on his index finger on his right hand and on his left he had a silver thumb ring.

All in all, he had transformed from his 'youthful' attire to something that practically screamed 'Yo-man-Imma-punk-gangsta-fa'sho.'

"So mah bro's! How's it hangin'? Man, yo youth be trippin' dawg!" Add a little peace sign to that and we all know something's terribly wrong.

"..."

"..."

"Wassup?"

Neji and Sasuke could only gawk and stare. And stare. And twitch. And stare some more. And feel a burn in their mind. And stare even more. Whoopie! We got some reaction!

But it wasn't them.

At that precise moment, Tenten let out a loud groan that snapped both traumatized shinobi out of their trances. Neji steadied her in his hold and watched as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Neji?" She turned her head to her right and raised a brow. "Sasuke-san?"

"TENTEN! How mah homegal hangin' up?"

And with that she promptly fainted once more.

"Tenten? Dude, wassup wit her?"

"Lee."

"Ya?"

"Shut the hell up."

Neji placed the unconcious girl back on the ground and turned to stare at the twitching Uchiha.

"Sasuke." The boy snapped out of his daze and turned to the Hyuuga quickly regaining his composure. "If that really is Sakura, then I'm assuming something happened to her."

_'No shit.'_

"Find her and help her at all costs."

_'And I heard that from the Dobe previously.'_

"I'll stay here and..." He turned to look at Lee who was leaning against a tree making a bubble with his chewing gum (where'd that come from, we'll probably never know) until he spotted Neji staring and brought up a lazy peace sign with his fingers. The bubble popped.

"...I'll do some damage control..." Eye twitch there.

"Hn" And back on his search for a cherry blossom does he go.

_

* * *

_

_AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!_

If anyone had heard that cry (which they'd have to be dead not to) they would have probably shrugged it off as one of the many usual occurances in Konoha- Sasuke and his fangirls, Lee's youth cry, Tsunade's next victim, Jiraiya's peeping escapades, and the rarer "Kakashi lost his book."

"Run Doggy! Run!!!"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY!!!"

"Here boy! Come to mama!"

"SOMEONE! PLEASE ANYONE!"

"Aww, my doggy got off his leash!"

"WHERE'S A FUCKING SHINOBI WHEN YOU NEED ONE!"

"Got'cha bitch!"

"MOMMY!!!"

They were no where near close.

"SHINO! YOU TRAITOR! HELP ME!"

The bug nin had already left ages ago.

"LET GO OF ME! TAKE AKAMARU INSTEAD!!"

Ouch. Betraying his lifelong friend. That's a low blow.

"Sorry doggy! But be a good boy and it won't be as painful!"

"FUCK THAT YOU SAKURA WANNABE!!"

"What was that?" There goes his ankle.

"AAAAAUUUUGH!!!"

"ARF!" And Akamaru got away.

"NOES!! NOT YOU TOO!! BACKSTABBER!!"

"Hmph. I'm not surprised. You betrayed him first. Now to punish a traiter! Bad doggy!"

"NO! NOT THAT HAVE MERCY!!"

Poor Kiba.

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Finally! I is done wif dis chappie! Huzzah!...friggin took me like...-starts counting off fingers- 1...2...3... More than a week I think! Gawd...I was originally going to have this chapter be longer, but I decided to break it up into about 3 shorter chapters...Yep... I hate writer's block...But I won't give up! -cheesy Gai Pose-**

**Reviews are welcome as are flamez...but please, don't flame that you don't like the pairings and the show or say that I just plain out suck. One, if you don't like the show or pairing, why are you even reading? Two, that's just mean. I prefer critiques on writing. It helps me a lot. Thanks.**

**Ja Ne!**


	10. Bug spray, screams, puppies, and fights

**Update time everyone! Yay! LET'S ALL FROLICK AND SKIP AND DANCE AND I'M Way too happy right now...wow...had a random moment there...yep...that was weird...-cough-**

**Anywayz, here's the next chapter and like I said before, most of the stuff that happens here comes from the random conversation I had with a group of friends, so I give them a bit a credit as well. I luff inner Sakura! She's like a psychotic and evil version of outer Sakura. I swear, if inner Sakura ever manages to take over, I bet she would friggin' pull a complete 0wnage of the Akastuki! MUNKIS!**

**Oh yea, for those of you who want to see what Lee more or less look like, I pretty much took the idea from a link that's in my profile. (Btw, I do not own this pic, it belongs to the artist and I am not stealing it. But if they would prefer to not have it up on this, then I would gladly take down the link!) :**

**Let's talk to Bob. Bob says hi. Bob likes Naruto. Bob says I don't own Naruto. Bob says Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. Bob is flicking me off. Bob is mooning me. I don't like Bob anymore...**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

He was running. He was escaping. He was doing all he could to get the hell away. He did not want to get caught in anything sadistic that was coming for him. No. He had to flee. He had to find cover- ASAP!

Shino was taking to every shadow he could find as he sprinted through the rooftops of Konoha. He was on the move from what he decided to call 'a catastrophic pink-haired time bomb'... Or something like that.

The bug-nin spotted a dark alley way below him and quickly dove down into it's shadows concealing himself. Quickly stopping and covering ups his chakra flow, he scanned the area around him for any certain 'hostile' presences. He let out an uncharacteristic sigh as he found none.

"It seems that I'm safe for now."

"Pssst! Who are we hiding from?"

He froze.

'_SHIIIIIIIIT'_

He turned around and was face-to-face with the alleged 'Pink-haired time bomb.' She grinned deviously as his face paled to an almost complete white.

"I caught you bug-man."

And she pulled out a can of bug-spray.

* * *

"OI! BAA-CHAN!!" 

_**3...**_

"Naruto-kun! P-please don't shout so d-disrespectfully--"

"OI! WAKE UP BAA-CHAN!"

_**2...**_

"Naruto-san! Please, Tsunade-sama will be furious!"

"S-shizune-san!"

"HMPH! BAA-CHAN!! WAKE UP! YOU'LL SLOBBER ALL OVER YOUR DESK!!"

_**1...**_

-Insert loud explosion with a high-pitched girly scream and very 'colorful' language-

"Need Sake...Now..."

"Kya! Naruto-kun!"

"... I pretty sure that's a new record Tsunade-sama."

The three kunoichi stared out of the Naruto-sized hole in the wall as a faint "Dattebayo" was heard. One stood worriedly and anxious, the second stood holding a pig, awed, and yet slightly nervous, and the last stood in full "I'm-annoyed-so-you-better-shut-the-hell-up-cuz-I-don't-care" mode.

"Serves the punk right. Shizune! My Sake now!"

The Hokage's assisstanttruned to look at her with an exasperated expression and sighed deeply. Shaking her head and flinching slightly when the Hokage glared at her, she pointed a finger towards the Hyuuga heiress.

"Tsunade-sama, the Sake will come after you attend to her please."

"Really?"

Shizune twitched as the Godaime pulled a Shojo Bishi form (sparkles and everything). Creepy coming from someone over fifty.

The medic nodded hesitantly.

"Alright! Now what seems to be the problem Hinata-san?"

"A-Ano-"

At that moment, the door burst open once more and in came running a dishevelled Neji cradeling a still fainted Ten-Ten in his arms. He looked like he had just seen hell freeze over.

"Hyuuga? What has happened to-"

"Hokage-sama! Sakura's on a rampage! And Lee-"

At the mention of his name, the youthful taijutsuist-turned-punk-gangsta burst into the room holding up a "rock-on" sign with his right hand and head-banging as he jumped through the door.

To say that Tsunade, Shizune, Ton-Ton, and Hinata were shocked, was a definite understatement. Especially the Hokage.

"L-Lee?"

"YEA BOII!!!"

* * *

If Kiba could wish for anything in the world right at that moment, he would seriously wish for divine retribution on himself. That or for him to disappear down a hole in the ground. What ever would come first. 

Unfortunately for him, life wasn't that simple.

"Uchiha..."

"Hn."

"If you get me outta here, forget you ever saw this, and then leave, I promise not to kill you!"

"Hn."

Sasuke smirked mockingly at the Inuzuka, knowing an empty threat when he heard one. It was obvious that Kiba could not defeat him in a one on one fight. But due to the current situation, it seemed that the boy's anger was definitely clouding his judgement.

That situation being: he was currently chakra-leashed and tied to a roof-top rail, wearing a doggy suit, and worst of all, a giant, pink, flea-collar, the funnel kind, was around his neck. At his side was a bowl that said "Puppy Prince" that was filled with milk bones.

Oh the humiliation.

"Bastard..."

"..."

"At least get the friggin' leash off DAMMIT!"

"Hn."

"AAUUUUGH!!! PLEASE UCHIHA! I DON'T WANT HER TO COME BACK!!!"

That caught his attention.

"Who?"

"Sakura!...or...err...Whoever that is that's disguised as her... or controlling her mind and such...whatever! Just get me untied NOW!"

"Which way did she go?"

"Don't change the subject!"

Sasuke gave Kiba the ultimate, patented, Uchiha Glare that he had perfected through out the years.

Naturally, it worked.

"Uh... S-She went off after Shino or Akamaru (traitor)... I don't know..."

"Hmm... Do you know which way Shino went?"

"He took off 45 degrees North from here. More into the crowded market areas."

"..."

"Look, don't track him on chakra cuz he concealed it when she took off after us."

"How long ago was she here?"

"Uh... About 20 minutes ago."

Sasuke nodded his head before turning his back on the fallen dog nin. Before he could take off from the edge of the roof, Kiba called out to him, his tone low and serious.

"Uchiha, I have a really big feeling that you had something to do with this. Your scent was all over her when she came after us. Fix it. It's not right to hurt someone you've already hurt many times before."

The ex-avenger paused momentarily before taking off without a word, leaving the dog-nin tied to the roof railing.

It took him a few seconds of looking at the retreating Uchiha before remembering his dilema.

"OI YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!! YOU NEVER UNTIED ME!!! AUUUUUGH!!!"

* * *

"Damn. I'm hungry... and thirsty. Hey hag, you got any money on you?" 

"Suigetsu I swear! You're spending way too much time training with Sai! I'll kill you both!"

"...here we go again..."

Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo were walking around one of the lesser crowded parts of Konoha. It was their "hang-out-and-pretty-much-get-shit-done-time" as Suigetsu crudely liked to put it. They would meet up once a day (since they don't have any missions for now since they just got off probation) and just do anything to pass the time. Eat, drink, chill at the park, train (if they were allowed), and just stick together.

Ever since Sasuke had formed the group, the three had managed to get along just enough to be able to work together. Eventually, the rogue nin had become their own little squad, creating unknown bonds between eachother, and maybe even a tiny one with the Uchiha hier. They had become "friends" in some way.

"So you don't have any money Karin? Geez, and I thought being a whore paid off for you."

"I'LL FRIGGIN' CASTRATE YOU!!!"

...Okay, so they were more like a dysfunctional group of friendly aquantances.

In less time than it took to bat an eyelash, Karin had pounced on Suigetsu and was wailing on him with scratches, slaps, and punches. Typical "Cat fight" style except with out the hair pulling and girl vs girl action that most men would pine over. The shark-toothed nin had to briefly wonder how the crazed girl would look in one of those more explict "Cat Fight" situations.

He would probably think her to be hot. Though it's not like she'll ever know. EVER.

"OW! Get off woman!"

"Not until I rip your lungs out!!!"

"Fuck that bitch!"

"What did you just call me?!?!"

"Nothing you skank!"

"BASTARD!!"

Suigetsu really likes to get her riled up, doesn't he?

_'If these two keep at it, I don't know how long my sanity will last... It's a good thing there aren't many people around here paying attention to them.'_

Juugo sighed as he watched his teamates grapple in front of him. He was pretty used to it by now (as well as most of Konoha). It was an everyday thing almost, and Suigetsu always started it. He had to wonder if the boy wanted contact from the girl all the time being the perv the shark-toothed nin was known for.

He sighed once more.

As a pretty well known shadow nin would say- this was getting _troublesome_.

"HA! Man that's hilarious!"

Juugo turned quickly in surprise at the sudden yell. Suigetsu and Karin stopped in mid-fight as well to look at the new arrival to their group. Someone gasped.

"Wow Karin, I never knew you were so bold! Woo! You guys are like a married couple already!"

"What the hell are you talkin--"

Both Karin and Suigetsu looked at their current grappling positions. The glasses-wearing kunoichi was currently straddeling the shark-toothed nin with her chest pressed against his and had her right hand pinning his left wrist above his head, while her left was in his right hand's grasp. What added more to the scene was the fact that the girls glass had fallen lower on her nose, she was panting, and her hair was touseled, while in Suigetsu's case, his hair was messed up as well and he was sweaty too.

The two ex-Hebi members felt their blood rush straight to their faces at an alarming rate. They could bet that their faces resembled Sasuke's blood-red Sharigan, without the three tomoe.

Juugo felt like laughing. Hard.

"S-S-Shut up hag!"

The kunoichi who had popped up onto the scene abruptly stopped in her laughter and tensed. A malicious aura surrounded her as she turned her head to face the couple at an agonizingly slow rate. Her pink bangs shaded her eyes as her mouth formed a thin line.

"Excuse me? Would you care to repeat that again?"

"You're a hag!"

Sakura lifted her head to show her darkened, emerald orbs that were filled with mischief and bloodlust. Her mouth curved into a demon-like smile that would scare off a million Orochimaru's and Itachi's.

"Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry."

Someone should really have warned them.

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**W00T! I'm finished with this chapter! Finally! Sorry for the long ass wait. I have my reasons for making you guys wait.**

**1) I have marching band and we had many practices and competitions this past month so I barely had time.**

**2) Midterms were last week and I was studying like crazy at night.**

**3) I had a ginormous writer's block that had me take a break from this since it was driving me crazy.'**

**4) I started another fanfic (that I'm not gonna post until this one is done) so I could give my mind rest on this one cuz you know, it's really mentally tiring when you have to only think for one subject for a long ass time. I had to stretch my brain a bit to get it refocused and refreshed... If that makes any sense.**

**5) I had a few Shikamaru moments to add onto my lack of update...**

**So yea, sorry about the wait. Anywayz, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Plz review and maybe it'll help me update faster! You know you want too! -is shot-**


	11. The world is going to hell

**ALRIGHT PEOPLES!! Update time W00T! Oh yea, no lolly gagging so now straight onto the story! **

**Disclaimer:...Okay well technically not straight onto the story till I do this...um... Although you may not be able to see me through the computer screen (and if you can, then...O.O...) do I seem like a person who would own Naruto to you? (say yes and I'll take it as a compliment, although its definitely not true)**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

Tsunade loved to gamble.

It was in her nature to do it.

One would make a bet declaration, and the Godaime would already be there to bet in less than a moment's breath. She could probably let the whole village go bankrupt if she had a gambling streak in the next town over. That and she would most likely bargain her whole outfit and run around Konoha naked if she didn't have the money to gamble.

...Okay, so maybe that's a little exaggerated...

But still.

Tsunade loved to gamble. And right now, she was willing to bet her position as Hokage that the world had suddenly gone insane.

"Uh, is...Is this boy okay?"

"Wa 'chu talkin' bout? I'm chillin' like a pillin'!"

"...What?"

"Fa' Shizzle mah dizzle mo' fizzle!"

"..."

She stared at Lee who had crossed his arms and had relaxed his posture into a gangster-like slouch, his lips puckered out in a challenging pout. He stared back at her as she suddenly felt her right eye twitching violently. Tsunade turned to Neji.

"Please explain that," she pointed to the bundle that was Ten-Ten in his arms, "and for the love of Kami-sama will you explain with as much detail what happened to Lee."

Neji nodded to the Hokage as he slowly set Ten-Ten down into a nearby chair to rest. As he laid her head back on the head-rest, he began to explain the situation.

"The incident happened about half an hour ago if my timing is correct. We had been given a day off today and as such, decided to relax in the local park. At this point, Ten-Ten and Lee were not in this condition. In fact, they were as they almost always are, calm and yet alert in case of surprise assaults."

He paused as he turned to the Hokage from his position.

"Go on."

"It was around 20 minutes into our leisure time that I felt a disturbance nearby and warned my comrads about the approaching danger. When I realized who it was, however, I allowed hostilities to drop. That was my mistake. In less than five minutes, the intruder had managed to cause all this damage to us. It was... Scary to say the least."

"Hmm... I see... Although you didn't clarify as to who it was you saw."

Neji hesitated slightly as though he was a little kid who was deciding whether or not to tattle on their friend who had just thrown a dodgeball into their face. Tsunade was now even more convinced that the world had gone to hell from his reaction.

"Ah, well... The shinobi... That is, who I saw was--"

"BAAAA-CHAN!!! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW!!!"

Somehow, the orange-clothed pest always managed to interrupt at the most crucial of times. Though one had to give him credit for the quick recovery. Might've been a new record from last time too.

"NARUTO!"

The boy winced as the Hokage's face contorted with newly furnished anger.

"Ah...Heheh... Gomen?"

He scratched the back of his head nerously as Tsunade heaved another long sigh. She looked back at Neji who seemed slightly shellshocked as well, but one couldn't tell whether it was from the blond Kyuubi vessel, or the immensely irritated village leader.

"Please continue Hyuuga."

To the Godaime's other surprise, the prodigy stuttered.

"A-Ano... I-it was--"

_SLAM_

"HOKAGE-SAMA!! HIDE ME!!"

Neji was once again interepted by the slam of the door opening and closing and Kiba rushing blindly into the room to stand behind Shizune. He was wearing a fluffy, doggy suit and a giant flea collar... As well as dragging half a mutilized fence with him. Akamaru was no where to be seen.

"Inuzuka?"

He whined like a puppy and went into a doggy-like version of the fetal position. Sucking his thumb he rocked back and forth continuosly.

"What happen--"

_SLAM_

"Wuh?"

The door was shut quickly as another person became present in the room. Everyone turned to see an extremely dishevelled, traumatized, tired, twitching, and not to mention KISS-infected Shino. A small gasp filled the room.

"Woah...What happened to you?"

Quickly composing himself as best he could, the bug-nin readjusted his sunglasses and brushed dirt off his coat before turning to face Naruto.

"..."

He opened his mouth to say something and maybe reveal the cause of his current discomfort but quickly closed as he clenched a tight fist near his chest.

"Huh?"

Naruto noticed a small, paper-like thing sticking ut of his hand and raised an eyebrow. He reached out to take it from Shino when his hand was swiped away. Tsunade, who watched the whole scene with saucer-sized eyes broke her stare and spoke in a demanding voice.

"Aburame!"

Shino flinched back as if someone had just pressed a hot, cattle prod into his chest. The Godaime's (as well as almost everyone else in the room) eye twitched and she glanced back at him in disbelief. Shino was visibly shaking.

The world had seriously gone to hell.

"A-are you okay Shino-san?"

Another slight twitch in the room as it was Hinata who had spoken out uncharacteristically. The awkward silence might've been the blame for her voice sounding so much louder than the usual.

"...F-...F-fa..."

Another collective twitch. Something was seriously wrong with them. Though who could blame them? A stuttering Shino is like a ramen-hating Naruto. Though hopefully that would never come to pass. At least, thta's what Tsunade oh so hoped.

"C'mon Shino. You can do it."

Hinata prodded further like a mother to a child who was first learning to ride a bike without training wheels. She smiled reassuringly to help him further his vocabulary.

"F-f-fan-an... g-g-girls-s... s-s-scary-y... f-fan-gi-girls..."

He unconciously clutched the paper in his hands tighter. His knuckles turning white. The younger Hyuuga pointed to the slip and then to him as an attempt to get him to show or tell them what it was without vocally anouncing it. The bug-nin backed up one step and took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly.

"No."

His composure regained and wits back in order Shino stood up straight and (though no one could see it) glared straight at the Hyuuga girl.

"It's nothing."

Hinata slowly recoiled, the Godaime, on the otherhand, took the offensive point.

"Aburame! You will hand that slip to me immediately!"

Shino froze.

_'Shit.'_ He forgot that she had the power to do that. But this was something personal. And for Shino, if it was something personal, then it WAS PERSONAL. He would fight as best he could for it. He would even--

He felt Tsunade's piercing gaze on him.

Unlike what most people think, he's never really been fond of that glare of hers. Everytime he manages to appear during one of her PMS-ing moods, he really has to hold back the need to let his legs shake. Why would one think he wears the excessive jackets and cloaks? They're really good at hiding a trembling body. The glasses though, they just make him feel cool. Though he would never admit to any of that. EVER.

"Aburame Shino. The slip."

"...A-ano..."

"NOW."

In a split second it was in her hands.

And a second later it had floated down to the floor.

The Hokage stood in shock.

Then, everyone took a chance peek at the slip that had unravelled itself as it hit the ground.

OH.

MY.

GAWD.

It was a photograph.

* * *

How Juugo got into this mess, he never knew. It was just one of those random things that somehow seem so fun at first before they turn around and bite you in the ass. Or in Juugo's case, make you sit on your ass for like over two freaking hours in the waiting room of some very special kind of Hotel with nothing to do but just not trying to think of what your teammates maybe doing at the moment. 

_'Ew'_ There goes another awkward thought.

Juugo shook his head to clear his mind from anymore disturbing images.

Why was he even here again?

Oh right. That kunoichi with the pink-hair. The one from Sasuke's original squad. He was pretty sure her name was Sakura. He remembered her well. She was one of the few people who somehow managed to bind his curse seal down to a point where it couldn't really bother him. She was kind, friendly, and was there to help him throughout the whole ten day procedure. Juugo admired her as a close aquiantence. Without her or the rest of the medics/ sealers who helped in the procedure, he wouldn't be sane at the moment. It felt like the curse seal never even existed.

But that wasn't the point at the moment. The pink-haired kunoichi, err- Sakura-san, had changed drastically somehow in these past few days. He'd never seen such a mischievious or rambuctious look in a shinobi's eyes before. And what she did... Well, not only was it extremely out of character, but it's what landed him in this current "Hotel." He teammates had decided to come here and brought him along. Well, they had wanted to come here, but it was Juugo who HAD to drag them there by the scruffs of their necks.

Hell, he didn't even want to be there. But alas, the fates weren't with him today.

_'It's times like this that I would rather go inane again...'_

The ex-Hebi member sighed.

_SLAM_

_'Woah! Who in the hell--'_

Juugo looked up at the new arrival that currently had his hands on his knees, head was bowed, and he was panting. With an eyebrow raised, he watched the figure regain its composure before raising his head. The ex-Hebi member felt his eyes widen as surprised orange-brown met irritated onyx.

"Sasuke?"

"_What?_"

_'O-okay... He seems very... irritated...'_

The cursed nin felt himself grow curious as he watched Sasuke glance subty around the building as if he were looking for something but didn't want anyone to know. Then, to his immense surprise (and slight horror) he saw the Uchiha sigh exasperatedly as he brushed a few stray bangs out of his face. And as quick as that happened, the boy immediately went back into his stoic facade.

Juugo just sat there in slight shock. This was a first for him- Sasuke showing emotion- and to tell you that he was scared was an understatement.

The poor nin almost jumped in his seat when the ex-avenger's eyes landed on him once again.

"What are you doing here?"

"...wuh-" Jugo shook his head from his previous felt terror as he stuggled to form words. Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow at his antics.

"I'm here with Suigetsu and Karin." At this Sasuke became tense as his chakra leaked out to find theirs.

"Where are they?" It was more a command than a question.

Juugo's reaction was unexpected. He turned bright red and he tried to hold back the twitch in his eye... As well as the urge to vomit. Apparently, he was incapable of words at the moment, so he opted to just point to the check-in counter and then the stairs.

Sasuke's stoic face changed to one of confusion before slowly contorting into one of sheer, unadultured horror. His eye was twitching violently as well to add to the image.

That was certainly unexpected.

"Do I... even WANT to ask?"

Juugo shook his head slowly before a question popped into his mind.

"Sasuke." The slightly traumatized boy looked up at him. Eye still twitching.

"What are _you_ doing _here_?"

"..."

"Are you-"

"NO."

"Oh...uh."

"I'm looking for someone."

The ex-hebi member looked at him questionably when another thought struck his already disturbed mind.

"Is it... Is it Sakura-san?"

The way Sasuke's head turned to looked at him made Juugo wonder if the boy had gotten whiplash.

"Sakura. She was here?"

"Um... Her odd persuasiveness is the reason Suigetsu and Karin are even here... as well as the reason as to why I tagged along..."

"Do you remember where she went?"

"We were in the less crowded part of town when she appeared. But that was 2 hours ago. So no... Not exactly."

"Two... Hours?"

His search had definitely been long.

"Hai."

Sasuke really had the sudden urge to kill the closest thing to him. But he had to restrain himself. Maybe he could take it all out on the Dobe when this mess was over and done with. Or maybe he could pay back his pink-haired teammate for all that she's made him do these past couple of hours.

"Hn."

With that thought in mind, Sasuke poofed out of the Hotel and went back on his search leaving Juugo alone once more to wait for his comrads.

He let out a long sigh that sounded like a mild groan.

"Why did I even agree to idea of bringing Suigetsu and Karin here? A friggin' sex Hotel!?"

Poor Juugo.

* * *

"Chouji, I swear, one of these days you're going to seriously choke on your food from eating so fast!" 

"Ah but Ino, it's never happened before. Never to any of my relatives!"

"You never know Cho!"

"Troublesome..."

As per usual, Team 10 was at their favorite (by their, I mean Chouji's) barbeque restaurant in all of Konoha for their weekly get- together dinner. And as usual, the plump Shinobi was stuffing himself with grilled steaks at an inhumanly rapid rate. It still made Ino sick (though not as much as back when she was 12) to see him eat like that. Shikamaru, on the otherhand, never really cared. He's always been used to that. But he still had to "comfort" his girlfriend who seemed to be turning slightly green from the scene.

"Ino, if it bothers you that much, then just don't watch. Besides, it's rude to stare at people while they eat...(plus it's troublesome)"

"Easy for you to say."

Chouji simply let out another chuckle as his longtime friend sighed out his key word and Ino tried to argue the issue further.

Soon enough the trio left the building after each pitched in their own cash to pay for the meal. They headed out to a park that was rather close to the Hokage Cliff Heads which happened to have Shikamaru's favorite cloud-watching spot. It happened to be one of the few shady hills in the park that was surrounded by flowers and had the softest patches of grass.

"Mou, the sun's a bit too bright today ne?"

"You can still see the clouds well..."

"Hmm... I guess you're right."

Shikamaru let himself fall back into the patch of soft grass and flowers behind him as Ino rested her head on his chest. Choji, meanwhile, sat cross-legged, a little higher on the slope from his two teammates, and pulled out a bag of chips from his weapon's pouch. (How he always managed to have a steady supply will remain a mystery.)

"You know, you guys seem to resemble a married couple more everyday."

"NANI!?"

"Troublesome woman..."

"S-shut up lazy ass!"

"If you would stop your troublesome screaming-"

And thus, another arguement in which Ino yelled obnoxiously at Shikamaru while he simply replied with his constant, special word, sparked up. Chouji sighed as he realized his mistake.

This would probably go on for awhile.

"Wow. I gots to agree with Cho. You guys really do act like a married couple. The fact that you've been dating for a few months now makes it even more humorous!"

The trio glanced over their shoulders to see the owner of the voice that was perched upside down on a tree branch that was lying nearly over them. An amused grin falshing on her face.

"Sakura! What are you- How did you- What the hell!?"

The pink-haired kunoichi laughed at Ino's flabberghasted expression. Her laugh was dark, reeked of trickery, and made the the group's skin crawl. She looked down from her spot on the branch and caught Ino's stare.

"Well Ino, if you really must know," Darkened Emerald bored into pale blue and a sadistic grin made it's way on her face.

"I came out to have some_ fun_!"

Suddenly, a million and one images flashed through Ino's mind and she felt as if some other persona had used her own signature tehnique against her. One image in particular produced a sudden light bulb in the blond's mind. In her opinion, it did not bode well.

Ino screamed as she scrambled away from her best friend.

"Oi! Ino, what's wrong?" Shikamaru tried to hold back his spazing girlfriend.

"I-i-i-it's her! From the Ch-Chunnin exams!"

"..."

"W-What is she doing o-out?! W-Why is she even h-here?!"

"Ino, that's Sakura. She's your friend. She lives here. Remember?" He was seriously starting to think that his girlfriend had gone mad. But he had to admit, something was wrong with the medic.

"My my Ino. I'm surprised you still remember! Well, at least this time, you're not interfering in my mind or on the receiving end of a giant choke hold. Ne?"

The young Yamanaka gulped in fear as her friend hopped down before her. By this time, Shikamaru had to admit, Sakura seemed to be possessed by something, and apparantly, Ino had met it before- back in the Chunnin Exams to be precise. So sensing that it was best to act now before anymore damage was done, the shadow-nin immediately performed his kagemane-no-jutsu on the seemingly, sadistic kunoichi.

"This has gotten way too troublesome. If my suspicions are correct, Sakura has been possessed, so I'm going to ask whoever you are, a few questions."

Sakura smirked smugly as she glanced at the Nara genius.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." It was then that Shikamaru made the mistake of looking into her eyes. His own orbs widened as she repeated the same process she did with Ino on him.

Unfortunately for the shadow-nin, she had decided to humor him with very explict images of many sorts.

The Kagemane was dispelled and to everyone's unexpected surprise (well everyone except Sakura) Shikamaru fainted back to Ino's lap with a foaming mouth and a very hardcore nosebleed. For that to ever happen to the shadow-nin was a definite sign of the apocalypse.

The pink-haired medic whistled.

"Damn Ino, your boyfriend has really dirty thoughts about you!"

Said girl blushed hard enough to make a tomato envy her.

With one last chuckle, Sakura turned to the last unscathed member of Team 10. Chouji sat there in complete terror with a chip half-way towards his gawking mouth. He bagan to tremble hard as she pulled out a kunai.

If possible, her facial expression turned even more evil-like.

"Fly butterfly! FLY!!!"

* * *

She had finally made it back home- though a little too late for her liking. According to the mission request, it was supposed to take up only a few hours and she would be back by noon. But according to her mission report, it had taken her almost 12 hours to finish it and thus she arrived at about 5:00. 

"Honestly, you wouldn't expect THAT many traps around that outer post!"

She had to admit that there were more than a few complications. Those being, the incredible amount of traps, detours, and genjutsu's that surrounded the area. But she still believed that the worse part of her journey, was that little incident involving snot covering up the whole inside of her ANBU mask as well as her face.

She just knew that somebody was talking about her when she was gone, and if she ever found them, Ichigo was going to make them pay.

"I'll kill the punk!... But first I gotta apologize to my cousin about training with her. Oh well hopefully--ACHOO!!!"

**'FUCK!'**

Today just didn't seem to be her day.

Oh what would her report to the Hokage be like?

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**W00T MUNKIS! I ams finished with this chappy! W00T! Only a few more chapters to go! Alright! I is so happy! **

**Anywayz, I hope everyone liked this chapter. It was fun writing it. Especially the Sakura's attack on Team 10. LOL. That was my friend's idea when we conversed about it. So there's a thanks to him! **

**Please review! It'll make me motivated (not to mention happy)!... And It'll keep Inner Sakura at bay!**

**Inner Sakura: I 0wnz j00 4ll XD**

**Me: 0.o**


	12. Tsunade's new mission

**I has returned! Fear me horrid grammar! lol...I is bored... So I talks like dis... Wonderful are it not? I hates reports... they takes up me free times... And writings times...munkis...**

**Okay, it takes a bit of effort to keep talking like that so I'll stop. Thanksgiving sucked for me... I had food poisining... Yuck... Oh well... At least I finally got around to writing this! Yay!**

**Anywayz, enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: The day I own Naruto, is the day evil flying munkis holding yogurt guns and pie bazoombas, wearing pink t-shirts that read "You're bases are belong to us!" conquered the world and enslaved the human race with potatoes. **

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

"...And so, that's why we came here to ask if you knew anything because we couldn't find Ichigo-chan!"

Naruto sucked in a much needed breath after he told his long tale to the Godaime Hokage. He had explained everything- at least, everthing that had happened to him and Hinata from their encounter with Sakura. It took him over five minutes to tell his tale since he kept messing up in descriptions and Hinata would interrupt with corrections. This might've been due to the fact that he kept glancing at Shino and every other second from the previous photo incident that still had everyone quite shaken.

Said photo was still lying on the floor untouched for unknown reasons.

"...I see...That doesn't sound at all pleasant." She shook her head as worry lines creased her face.

"Tsunade-sama..." Shizune could honestly tell that Tsunade was really concerned about the matter. Sakura was like the granddaughter she never had. In her case, the pink-haired medic was more like a sister due to their constant studies together in the Sannin's apprenticeship.

"Hyuuga."

Both Neji and Hinata looked up in unison as the Godaime caught her mistake and addressed the prodigy directly.

"Neji, the 'attacker' you spoke of, it was Sakura, correct?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Ten-Ten groaned from her spot in the corner as she awoke and groggily slumped forward on her chair. She rubbed the faintness from her eyes and scanned around the room. She noticed Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Kiba, Shino, Shizune, Neji, Tsunade, and Lee- _'Wait...Lee?!'_

"Lee? What the hell?"

Before the punked-out ninja could respond, Neji clamped a hand over his mouth and glared daggers at the boy. He looked back over at the weapon's mistress as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ten-Ten, do you remember anything?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"We were relaxing, Lee started talking about Youth, I started beating the crap outta him," this earned a few sweatdrops around the room, " Neji sensed danger and...Sakura..."

The weapon mistress' expression changed from thinking to revelation, disbelief, horror, and then to a bright red that tinted her cheeks. She gulped and twiddled her thumbs as her blush increased to a second level. Looking over at Neji, she noticed a slight pink on his cheeks as well.

"What did she do?"

"Ano... She kinda... tied me up... to Neji... And then she did that -points- to Lee..."

"You saw what she did to Lee?"

"...Iie... I fainted a little while after she tied me up..."

"Did she knock you out?"

"No! No... It was... from something else..."

Ten-Ten's eye twitched. She felt the sudden urge to wash her hands with a lot of soap. They felt dirty. She settled for rubbing them together unconciously.

Tsunade raised a brow at her actions and fixed her gaze on Neji who had suddenly found the wall very interesting. She sighed as she took a sideways glance at Kiba (who finally managed to remove the suit and collar) and Shino who was sulking. It was rather easy to know what happened to those two. The picture and the costume were explanation enough.

"Naruto, do you have any idea where Sakura could be?"

"Not a clue! But Sasuke-teme went after her!"

"The Uchiha? I thought matters like this hardly ever concerned him."

"No no! I think he was her first victim, so I'm guessing that it was him who started it. Sakura-chan looked really pissed when she saw him."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously as she thought of what the ex-missing-nin could've done to cause this change in her apprentice. She was getting ready to yell about the topic when the door nearly flew off it's hinges from the shinobi bursting in her room.

_'Okay. If they keep doing that, I won't have a door left. And what is it with not knocking these days!?'_

She examined the two panting nin standing in front of her before deducing one thing.

_'Sakura struck again.'_

"Tsunade-sama-"

"Calm down Ino. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly... Good. Now let me guess: you got a visit from Sakura?"

For a moment, the blonde seemed surprised before she noticed the rest of the occupents in the room. She turned her head to Shikamaru who slowly looked her in the eyes before covering his nose and looking away. She felt herself twitch before returning to face the Hokage.

"Sakura... She did this."

"So I've heard from everyone else. Do you know where she is now?"

"She's gone after Choji!"

"Excuse me?"

"After she completely messed up our minds, she left after him screaming something about butterflies! Oh, I'm really scared for Forehead..."

"What do you mean?"

"I've met this being of her's before!"

Stunned silence engulfed the room's occupants as they let the revelation sink in. The Godaime stared hard into Ino's light blue eyes and demanded in a serious tone:

"When and where?"

"D-during the Chunnin exams about 3 years ago or so when we were rookies. It wasin the Pre-lims..."

Almost everyone in the room froze as Ino recalled that day's events to the Hokage.

She told about how she had managed to transfer into Sakura's mind with her signature jutsu and was about to force her to give up. But when Naruto had spoken out against defeat, something in Sakura snapped and Ino ended up releasing the jutsu. When she was back in her own body, she had kept accusing Sakura of having another being inside her.

_'That could explain a lot.'_

"So you believe that this new Sakura is the phantom you faced in her mind?"

"I know it's her! She showed me!" Tsunade raised a brow at that.

"How did she manage that exactly?"

Ino paused to think.

"I'm not exactly sure... She looked me in the eyes... Images blasted through my head... And I saw one that looked like that time in the exams when I was in there... It was as if she took a bunch of memories and... unleashed them on me... Gave me a headache!"

She rubbed her head for emphasis as Tsunade took a quick glance at Shikamaru who had suddenly started to stuff his nose with tissues that were slowly turning red.

"I'm guessing it what something like my own jutsu." Continued Ino. "It kinda felt like a person was also invading my mind. The emotions were so raw... and there..."

The Godaime rubbed her temples with her finger-tips as she nodded in understanding.

_'I've never heard of this and it's become quite a problem with all these nin here...I could seriously use some good sake rigth now.'_

Her thoughts were interrupted as a loud knock was heard at her door.

_'Finally, someone with enough decency to not barge in like a wild banshee.'_

"Come in."

When the door opened, more than half the group jumped in surprise and began panicking. Ten-Ten shrunk in her seat, Neji grabbed hold of Lee as a human-shield, Kiba yelped and jumped into Shino's arms "Scooby-Doo Style," Ino pressed her nervous body close to Shikamaru who began to frantically stuff even more tissues up his nose and Naruto hugged Hinata protectively to his chest. The person raised a brow at their reactions and looked up at the Hokage with a confused expression.

"Did I come at a bad time?"

"I believe not Ryu-san."

It took a moment to click in Naruto's head before he pointed a finger at the ANBU in front of him.

"Oi! Ichigo-chan! Where have you been?!"

"For the love of Kami-sama, stop yelling Gaki! Damn!"

"OI! Don't call me GAKI!"

"If you keep yelling I'll shove my snot-filled mask down your throat!"

"Yea well-… wait… snot-filled… ew…"

Naruto began to cringe from the sudden images. Not a pretty sight if he ever had one.

"Serves the gaki right. My ears were ringing already."

Tsunade couldn't help but hold back a small chuckle. Somehow, it was always entertaining to see the blonde boy's face contort in that manner. Though, before she could comfort herself in that thought too much, she cleared her throat to get the ANBU's attention. Ichigo snapped to attention the minute she locked gazes with the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, I managed to deliver the scroll without much complications."

"Much?"

"…"

"…"

"…Honestly… You don't wanna know…"

The Hokage raised an eyebrow as Ichigo unconsciously wiped her nose. It gave Tsunade enough of a hint and she nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and closed as yet another shinobi burst panting into the office. Quickly and with a short yelp, he dove behind Ichigo and on his knees, looked out from behind her legs towards the door.

"Choji?!"

"Shh!!! Shut up Naruto! She's after me!"

Ichigo's expression was confused, so she turned her head down towards the big-boned nin hiding behind her.

"Who what now?"

"A crazy-" he looked up and yelped again before scooting back from the now really disturbed kunoichi. He pointed and stuttered while everyone else in the room turned anxiously to watch the exchange.

"Don't kill me!!!"

Her brow rose even higher.

"O-kay… I have no idea what you--"

Ichigo's eyes widened as she felt a quick and barely noticeable spike of familiar chakra from outside. Speedily, she pulled out a kunai just for precaution and searched around the room. No one appeared to have noticed it but herself. To her, that was bad sign.

"Uh Ichigo-chan, why are-"

"Quiet Naruto." The Kyuubi vessel pouted as Ichigo turned her serious stare to the Godaime. "Hokage-sama, we have a problem."

"So I've heard. My apprentice correct?"

"Hai."

Tsunade leaned forward on her elbows and laced her fingers in front of her. She traced the ANBU's eyes for truths.

"I'm guessing that you are quite familiar with what is currently happening to my apprentice. According to everyone here in this room, she has had a drastic change upon her, as well as attacked them each without warning."

"Hai."

"Have you anything to say about the situation."

Ichigo's face turned grim.

"Sakura is in grave danger from herself."

* * *

'_Finally, I found her!'_

Sasuke smirked as he managed to spot Sakura crouched on a rooftop next to the Hokage's tower. He landed silently a few feet behind her and made sure to mask his chakra so he wouldn't be caught. He pulled out a few clear wires and attached them around some shuriken. The ex-avenger would have to time himself right or else the minute he unleashed his Sharigan, she would notice his presence and flee before he even had a chance.

However, something was very off. Sakura seemed to have her whole guard down, but at the same time, she was highly tense. She was clenching her hands in front of her and from the way her shoulders were hunched, it seemed as if she was irritated. Not to mention, her attention was fully focused on the window to the Hokage's office where there were at least 13 figures- one of them being the Godaime herself, present. He also noticed that there was a figure talking to the Hokage that had dark, pinkish hair.

'_Wait a minute…'_

A person with dark, pinkish hair.

'_Sakura's cousin? Well that's a good sign. And it looks like the Dobe is there too. At least he managed to do his job.'_

Though something still puzzled him. Why was Sakura keeping such a sharp eye on her cousin? Maybe it was because she considers her a threat? He shook his head and gave an exasperated sigh.

'…_Shit!'_

That was a wrong thing to do.

Sakura turned her head viciously around towards Sasuke. She had surprise written all over her face and her eyes seemed to flash jade momentarily before going back to those dark emerald pools. She gave him her best death glare which even he had to admit, sent shivers down his spine. Before he had time to react the pink-haired girl vaulted off the roof and around the Hokage tower.

Though as she fell in mid-air, Sasuke took advantage of it and threw his Shuriken-ended wires and tossed them around her. The wrapped around her body and pinned her arms to her side as she growled in annoyance. The medic channeled her chakra to the sides of her body and with a loud "SHANARRO!" she broke out of the binds. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, she grabbed the ends of the wires that he had in his hands, and using her gained momentum, pulled him forward into the side of the tower.

With a triumphant grin plastered on her face Sakura stuck out her tongue behind her and disappeared in a flurry of leaves laughing.

Sasuke could only scream out in frustration as he picked himself up from the rubble.

"FUCK!!!"

* * *

Ichigo had just finished her explanation to the Hokage about her cousin's condition. She had made sure she had not missed any detail that she had initially mentioned to Sakura and answered almost every question to the best of her knowledge. It was quite clear to her that all the shinobi in the room were quite shocked with the new information they had received. And the signs for that were obvious: Naruto was oddly quiet, Hinata was staring out into space along with Neji and Ten-Ten, Choji had stopped eating a bag of chips that he had taken out when the explanation began, Shino was fidgeting, Kiba and Lee had a face that read "OMGWTFBBQ," and Ino and Shikamaru just stared at Ichigo like she had 2 heads. Shizune and Tsunade seemed least affected.

She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. That seemed to undo some sort of spell that had been placed on the room.

"So…" Everyone turned to look at Tsunade who still had her chin resting on her clasped hands. "Sakura needs us to help her out of this situation."

"Well, more specifically, those who are closest to her. I would say maybe, a childhood friend, her teammates perhaps. No blood relations though as I mentioned before."

"I see."

The Godaime sighed for the umpteenth time that day as she leaned back in her chair. She scrutinized everyone in the room with a gathering gaze before locking her amber orbs on Ichigo.

"Have you any ideas as to what to do at the moment?"

Ichigo looked thoughtful before a playful smirk appeared on her lips.

"We have to end this game of 'hide and seek' and catch the little psycho."

At this point, Naruto spoke out.

"But Sasuke-teme has been trying to catch her this whole time! Even he hasn't been able to find Sakura-chan! We don't know where she even is!"

At that exact moment everyone heard a sudden cling of metal outside the window. All the shinobi turned their gazes to it as they saw wires extending from shuriken that had imbedded themselves to random spots that included the wood around the glass. A snapping sound was heard and a collective gasp filled the room as they saw the subject of their problem hovering slightly in the air due to the strings that had bound her.

On the neighboring roof stood the normally stoic Uchiha who had his face scrunched up in an effort to pull up the captured girl. It looked as if he had finally got her. At least, that's how it seemed before said kunoichi burst out of the strings yelling out her catch phrase. In less than a millisecond, she had reversed their roles and used the string to ram the dark-haired shinobi into the side of the building.

The Hokage and everyone else in the room could only gape and stare as the descending girl smirked in the fallen nin's direction before taunting him with her tongue out. They could've sworn that her gaze turned to them as she began to disappear in a swirl of leaves laughing mischieviously.

This all took place in less than a minute, and soon most of the room found themselves running out to the hall where a crumpled Sasuke was cursing and picking himself up from the debris that had fallen from the hole in the wall.

"OI TEME!!"

Naruto as always, was the first to arrive to his friend's aid. Behind him came Lee, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Ichigo, and Shizune. The fox-boy grabbed his friend's arms and slung over his shoulder as he hefted him up from the mess. Lee quickly followed suit as it seemed that the Uchiha had a bit more damage done than expected.

When they reached the office, Tsunade, with the assistance of Shizune and Ino, had put Sasuke back on his feet. Fortunately, He only suffered minor cuts and bruises as well as a very sore, overall body, and a fixable sprain in his left ankle. Though, it was obvious by his "I'm-so-effing-pissed-I'm-gonna-strangle-someone-preferably-the-one-who-did-this-to-me" look that he was not a happy camper. But since when are Uchiha's really happy?

"Woah Teme! Sakura-chan sure got ya under a rock!"

A nice kick in the shin really helps when Naruto takes up a futile attempt at comedy.

"ITAI!!!"

"Ever the loud one, eh gaki?"

"URUSAI-TTEBAYO!"

Ichigo chuckled lightly as she resumed her attention on Tsunade who had now pulled out a fresh bottle of Sake and was downing her first shot.

"As you were saying Ichigo, what exactly should we do to get my apprentice back?"

"We have to incapacitate her and bring her here. Then I can determine how long she's been in that state. Depending on that, we'll take a new course of action."

"Understood." Tsunade downed another shot before shouting to all present in the room. "Alright. Starting now, this is a mission to all of you! Capture Haruno Sakura and bring her back here ASAP!"

With a quick affirmative from all the members of the Konoha 12, (11 at the moment) the shinobi took off for their pink-haired friend. Tsunade, Ichigo, and Shizune stayed in the office to wait for their return.

"Ichigo-san, why aren't you going?"

"Simple Shizune. I need to replenish my chakra from that last mission just in case I have to perform any jutsu on Sakura when they return."

Shizune nodded and fixed her grip on Ton-Ton. A sudden silence descended on the office's occupants.

"You know, I think the Uchiha has the best chance at this."

"Is that a pick-up to a bet?"

"Oh no. T-Tsunade-sama!"

"Maybe. I could always use a bit more cash in my pocket these days."

"YOU'RE ON!!!"

"T-Tsunade-sama…"

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Oh noes Tsunade! Don't! If you win, bad things always tend to happen! Lol, I enjoyed Sasuke getting owned by Inner Sakura in this chapter. It's always fun to see stuff like that happen! XD**

**Naruto: HAHA!! TEME got PWNED!! –gets socked in the head-**

**Sasuke: STFU or I'll kill you!**

**Naruto: Waaah! Sakura-chan! Teme's being mean!**

**Inner Sakura: -in a sweet voice and holding a whip- Oh Sasuke!**

**Sasuke: 0.0**

**Reviews bring motivation!**


	13. Cherry Blossom clone hell

**Alright another update! Yay! And I'm seriously nearing the end of this story! That makes me happy… but sad at the same time… Cuz then this story will be gone and forgotten… -sob-… But oh wells… **

**Anywayz, here's the next chappie! (somebody had some sugar today XD)**

**Disclaimer: You know, one time, I did own Naruto. Unfortunately, I woke up.**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

"Hn. So Sakura has a Kekkei-Genkai…"

"Hai hai! And according to what Ichigo-chan had said, teme, you… um… how'd she put it again?!"

"It was 're-awakened' Naruto."

"Right! Yea, thanks Shikamaru! So yea, you 're-awakened' it!"

"Aa."

Sasuke gave a short nod to the information he had received. After Tsunade had officially sent the whole Konoha 12 (currently 11) to capture Sakura, Naruto took it upon himself to explain to him all that had been previously explained in the Hokage's office. Of course he'd make a few interpretation mistakes, but the other nin would butt-in and correct his mistakes. And although Sasuke fully understood the situation, he still could not come to accept one very important fact-

Haruno Sakura has a secret clan blood-line.

He had never expected that. In all honesty, he would have never thought that the pink-haired annoyance would ever contain something of that possibility in her blood. It just wasn't… Sakura to him. She was supposed to be the weak, insecure, fragile, cute, but sexy little girl that he would always be able to protect and hold when—

'_Where the fuck did that come from?!... It was that impact I took to the side of the Hokage building. It did a bit more damage than I thought it did…Hn.'_

Naruto looked over at his teammate who seemed to be having some sort of spasm in his opinion since the boy kept shaking his head back and forth roughly. For him, it wasn't a surprise to see him doing something so out of character, (he and Sasuke had renewed their brotherly bonds and usually hung out a lot at each other's homes swapping stories and just passing the time enjoying the company) but it was a surprise to see him do it out in the open. So being the ever curious "brother" he was, he reached out to tap the Uchiha on the shoulder.

"Oi, Sasuke. Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing." He knew that his friend was seriously worried (he only said his name in those cases) and felt slightly relieved that he wasn't pissed at him about Sakura anymore.

"Whatever you say teme!"

"Hn."

The kyuubi vessel could only grin as he sat back against one of the training stumps that littered the field the group was currently in. He glanced around at them and took a few simple observations. Five minutes passed by unnatural slow as he sat and watched. He felt himself getting tense. And tense. And tenser. Okay, now it was just plain aggravating.

"OI!" Everyone turned to him "I was just uh, wondering… HOW LONG ARE WE GONNA JUST STAY HERE DOING NOTHING!?!?!"

He received a good shoe to the face- courtesy of Ino.

"BAKA! Have you not been paying attention!?"

"Umm… Dattebayo?"

Ino could only slap a hand to her forehead as the rest of the group sighed at the blonde boy's idiocy. Hinata, being the only one who could hold her patience best with the boy walked over and explained.

"N-Naruto-kun, Shikamaru was explaining a good plan to all of us on how to catch Sakura."

"Oh! Wait, why didn't I hear anything anyways!?"

"A-Ano… You looked to be listening. Maybe you zoned out?"

"NANI!? Aww man…"

The Hyuuga heiress could only giggle as her boyfriend cried his fake anime tears from realizing his stupidity. It was pretty cute how dense he was most of the time.

"Troublesome…Alright, since the idiot over there didn't hear it, and for the sake of remembering, I'm going to repeat it again."

Shikamaru looked around him and made sure everyone was listening in once more.

"Okay, it's best to stay as a group because according to the information given, if we pair off or- Kami forbid- go on our own to catch her, it's highly possible that we won't succeed. Example being Uchiha." Sasuke scowled and sent a harsh glare at the Nara genius which was promptly ignored.

"Staying in this group is our best bet at success. What we need to do is use some sort of bait to provoke her to attack. I was thinking for you- Naruto, to fill this spot."

"EH!? Why me?"

"Naruto, you tend to provoke a lot of people to come after you. This job suits you perfectly!"

"That's not funny Kiba! How about I shove that doggy suit up--"

"Ahem. As I was saying, Naruto, you will be the 'bait.'"

"But I don't wanna…"

"Nobody cares dobe." Naruto promptly sat down in a corner and sulked.

"Once the target comes within range, I will have the chance to catch her in my kagemane and hold her down as Neji or Hinata, which ever one of you, cuts off her chakra so she won't be able to use that monstrous strength."

"I'll be the one to cut off her chakra. Hinata has complied to back-up."

"Right then. Everyone else, you will be back up as well in case anything goes wrong. And if anything does go wrong, we may have to knock the target unconscious."

The shadow-nin checked everyone around him to make sure they understood. Some like Ino, TenTen, Hinata, Naruto, and Lee (who still happened to be in punk mode, though how he remained serious this whole time, we will never know) seemed to show signs of hesitant will. The others seemed focused for the most part, although he could've sworn he saw Sasuke flinch when he mentioned the possibility of knocking her out. It was probably his mind just playing tricks on him. After all, Sakura really had some fun screwing around in there.

"Okay. Any questions?"

Silence.

"Oh Oh! I gots one! What if this said target happens to hear the whole plan and pops up unexpected to the surprise of everyone else and ruins it completely?"

The group of shinobi instantly froze and slowly turned their heads to the owner of the voice.

Squatting on top of the highest tree stump, with her elbows resting on her knees, hair billowing in the wind, eyes closed, and a sickly innocent smile on her face, sat the "target" of the operation. As her eyes slowly opened, her grin turned into a malicious smirk that never failed to cause shivers down the group's spines.

Being the first to fully recover, Shino shot a kunai out at Sakura, but naturally, she dodged it as she front-flipped off the stump, landed, and stood.

"So now I'm a target huh?" She pouted as she crossed her arms looking like a punished child, before quickly retaining her mischievious demeanor. "Heh. Well nice try, but never underestimate me."

She locked stares with Shikamaru once more and in less time than it took to blink, the boy was on the floor with another nosebleed. Fortunately for him, he remained conscious and managed to regain his footing as he wiped his nose with his sleeve.

"Kuso. Kiba, Shino!"

"On it! _Gatsuuga_!"

As Kiba shot out towards the medic, Shino came up behind her and sent a swarm of bugs into a rope to hold her. She didn't even fight back. It was direct hit.

_POOF!_

"No way! A clone?!"

"You should've recognized it outta everyone Naruto-no-baka! It is your specialty."

"GAH!"

The blonde-haired nin was kicked from behind into Sasuke and the two fell in a heap of limbs.

"Dobe get off of me!"

"Geez teme stop whining!"

Both nin scrambled off the ground and faced Sakura as she giggled at their childishness.

"Man, you guys never seem to stop acting like children, ne?"

"Sakura-chan…"

"_JYUUKEN!_"

Neji had snuck up behind the distracted kunoichi and hit her directly in the back with his attack. Sakura slumped forward and coughed up a pool of blood before looking up at everyone with a sad smile.

"You caught me…"

"Sakura-chan!"

_POOF!_

"Just kidding!" She gave an impish smile from the tree she was hanging upside-down from.

"Grrr! That's it! _KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!_"

Instantly, 50 Narutos appeared surrounding the area. Sakura stared amusingly at all of them and gave a light whistle.

"Huh… that's a lot of nuisances." She dropped down from the tree and pulled out a kunai taking a defensive stance. "I guess I'll just have to take 'em out—huh!?"

As Sakura was about to attack, her movements froze and she felt that her body was out of her control. Mustering as much will power as she could, she looked down and saw that her shadow was connected to one of the Naruto's that was hidden among the other clones. With another 'poof' it transformed into a seemingly, smug-looking Shikamaru. Sakura only smirked as she was forced into his same stance, the kunai dropping harmlessly to the ground.

"I see." She was allowed to turn to face the shadow nin. "So this was your plan from the beginning. You only explained yourself once and although the baka over there didn't hear, you knew it would end up this way. Tell me, did you really predict my interference from the beginning?"

"You give a bit too much credit. But yea, I had a nagging feeling in my head that something like this would happen. I set up a clone in my spot while I hid until Naruto called out his clones and then used that to my advantage. It was just a matter of time. Anyway, this has gotten way too troublesome for me. Hinata, if you please."

The Hyuuga Heiress timidly walked up to the front from the back of the group and looked at the captured kunoichi with sad eyes.

"Gomen Sakura…_Byakugan!_"

Before she knew what was happening, Sakura was pelted with Hinata's gentle-fist and felt her chakra flow cut off and gates close. Shikamaru maintained his jutsu throughout the attack and held the pink-haired nin's trembling body up. She was coughing up blood from every hit and when she looked up with her hurt, tearing eyes, the shinobi had to hold themselves back from trying to stop the one-sided fight.

Shikamaru released his jutsu as Sakura collapsed to the floor still coughing up blood. She looked up at him as Hinata stepped back and wiped her eyes from the tears that were threatening to fall out. She felt really bad for having to do this to one of her best friends.

"N…Ne… Shikamaru…" He managed to look her in the eyes since he knew she couldn't do anything to his mind without her chakra. She smirked evilly once more. "You suck at judging people!"

_POOF!_

"SHIT! Another clone!?"

As the group quickly took defensive stances, multiple laughs rang around them.

"_Another clone?_"

"_Why of course another clone!_"

"_Definitely underestimating me-_"

"_-Kick your ass!_"

"_-Scared of one little kunoichi?_"

"_Time to have some fun!!_"

Out from the surrounding trees appeared dozens Sakura clones that were each laughing, smirking, taunting, and grinning at the shinobi. Some were sitting up in trees, others hanging from them, some were on the floor twirling kunais, and others were crouched on stumps. Naruto had a good dose of deja-vu from his experiences with Mizuki when he stole the forbidden scroll, and the second bell test with Kakashi. Now he was seriously wishing he had never taught the shadow clone technique to Sakura.

It seemed that Kiba was the only one who could come-up with a good thought for the situation.

"OH SHIT."

Everyone had to agree.

* * *

On the other side of the village, in one of the many surrounding forests, sat a pink-haired girl at the edge of a lake with her feet dangling in the water, and her boots placed neatly next to her. She seemed peaceful and oblivious to the world around her as she hummed a tune to herself and occasionally giggled at some random joke in her head. If she was paying more attention, she would have noticed the shadow that loomed over her in a tree that stood near her spot at the lake. 

Piercing Onyx eyes watched her carefully and analyzed her movements as she sloshed her feet a bit in the water. She gave another giggle as a rather large explosion sounded on the opposite side of the village. Something seemed comical about it from the sound of her laughs. The shadow in the tree could only smirk as he kept watching her. Only one thing came to its mind.

'_Hn. I finally found you. The real one.'_

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**OMG! Finished! And it only took me day for once! W00T Munkis!... Anywayz, I bet you could probably guess the people in the ending. And yes, I know people hate cliff-hangers, but it's all for effect I guess… yep… Inner Sakura Out-smarted Shikamaru! HA!... Or did she? **

**You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to know!**

**Remember review bring motivation! XD**

**BLOOPER (lol I was tempted to write this instead of what I originally had there)**

Shikamaru: Okay. Any questions?

Inner Sakura: Oh Oh! Yea, I gots one! How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop!?

Shikamaru:… Um… That's a good one actually…

Naruto: Oh! I tried it once!... But I lost count…

Inner Sakura: So no one knows?

Eveyone: Nope…

Sasuke: About 927 licks.

Everyone: … 0.0

Sasuke:… I got really bored in Orochimaru's lair most of the time when I wasn't training… It helped pass the time…

Everyone: 0.o

Sasuke:…Hn…

**LOL!!! **


	14. Stop the Madness

**OMG! I'm back on track! Yay!… I'm so sorry for not updating! Winter break started, and I went on a long trip, plus I had a major case of writer's block! XP… yea… I hate writer's block… but good news though- **

**I started another fic to relax my mind from this one for a bit. It's a Naruto crossover to the real world and I think it's a real fun idea. It was something that came to me randomly like most ideas do. Yep. I'd really like it if you guys would check it out! It'd make me really happy! Yep.**

**Anywayz, now for your feature presentation… lol… **

**Disclaimer: MUNKIS MUNKIS MUNKIS MUNKIS MUNKIS MUNKIS MUNKIS!!!... Nuff said...**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

A light breeze passed through the forest, making leaves dance, branches sway, and the water in a pond in a clearing ripple. As the soft wind passed, a contented sigh escaped the lips of a relaxed kunoichi as she sat on the edge of the pond with her feet dangling in the water. She kicked up her feet a bit and giggled as water sloshed between her toes, tickling her slightly. A somewhat sad smile adorned her face as she looked up to the sky and watched a flock of birds pass by. She looked up at the clouds as if she were in a trance and sighed once more, never seeming to notice a shadow hovering above her.

He watched her silently from above and calculated every possible maneuver needed to be executed. Failure was not an option for him. He never failed, and he never planned on starting soon. Remaining a shadow until an opening was given was his best option if he wanted to ensure success. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"I had a feeling Shikamaru had another ace up his sleeve. He's not one to lose so easily." He tensed as her soft, but melodious voice reached his ears. "Ne Sasuke?"

Cursing under his breath he stayed rooted to his spot on the tree, preferring for her to make the first move. It was always better to know an enemy's intentions before attacking. It was easier to pick the best course of action that way. At least, that was his best bet for now since she didn't seem to be fleeing as of yet. Instead, she gave a light laugh as another explosion was heard opposite of their location.

"You can come out you know. No point in hiding when I know exactly where you are. I won't bite."

He saw her looking at him from the corner of her eyes, but refused to make eye contact. He didn't want to take any chances, especially knowing what she could cause through a sheer look. Sasuke had never seen the Nara genius ever get such a nosebleed that could rival Iruka's the day Naruto first introduced his Orioke no Jutsu. He didn't want to know what would happen if she tried it on him.

'Might as well…' 

Jumping out from his hidden vantage point, Sasuke landed silently behind the kunoichi, watching her cautiously for any signs of hostility. Sakura merely turned her head slightly and regarded him with something that he would call a "Naruto-like grin."

"Yare yare, someone decided to show up. What's on your mind?"

"Hn."

"Nothing eh? Wish that were the case for me. How's life treating you lately?"

"Hn."

"I see. Naruto invites you to ramen how many times a week?"

"…"

"From the look on your face I'd say too many."

What was she playing at? She seemed to ignore the fact that she was currently being hunted down by all her friends who were taking any chance they could to capture her. From the looks of it, she was simply amused by that fact and was engaging in some sort of friendly, one-sided banter. But Sasuke had a feeling that he was slowly falling into some trap. So being the ever-vigilant shinobi he was, he kept his guard up and blocked her friendly advances with his stubborn responses.

"Why don't you ever refuse?"

"Hn."

She gave him a long hard look, and for brief moment, he felt her staring into his soul. An image of a young blond haired boy with whiskers and bright blue eyes smiling while holding his hand out to a depressed and unsure looking boy with raven hair and dark obsidian eyes played before his eyes. It was obvious to him that the raven-haired boy was himself after the Uchiha massacre and without a doubt, the other was his knuckleheaded teammate Naruto. He felt a slight pang in his heart from some emotion that was trying to poke its head out of his slowly melting, icy heart. Before he could completely recover, the image faded away and he found himself locked in a staring contest with an amused and smirking Sakura.

"Guilt is not a fun emotion Sasuke. I'm sure that's what you're feeling right now."

He felt his eyes slightly widen as she turned her attention back to the pond and slowly stood from her spot. He felt like he was frozen on the spot and could only watch as she quickly dried her feet and replaced her boots. She gave him no second glance as she brushed off the dirt from her clothes and began to walk towards him. As she stepped past the baffled Uchiha, Sakura gave a sad smile and whispered so low that it was almost impossible to know what she was saying. Key word, ALMOST.

"But… Why is it that I still admire you?"

Before she could even realize what was happening Sakura found herself pinned to a tree, with Sasuke's blade hovering over the flesh of her neck.

* * *

"_Kaiten!"_

"What? Is that it? Man Hyuuga! My gerbil can spin faster than you!"

"Gah!!"

"NEJI!!"

"Hey! What does this kind of weapon do?!"

"Wha-!? AUGH!!"

"Better pay more attention Tennie!"

"_KONOHA SENPU!!_"

"KONOHA- YO MOMMA!!"

"Eh?! Yo dude! Why ya callin' out mah momma fo'- ACK!!"

"That my gangsta friend is called OWNAGE!"

"_GATSUUGA!_"

"Puppy!"

"GAH NO!! LET GO!!!"

"Awe! Puppy's sad! How about a big hug?!"

"Bone… c-crushing… c-c-can't… Breath!"

"_Mushi Kabe no Jutsu!_"

"…"

"…"

"…Heh…"

"…! GACK!!"

"And you thought I still didn't have the bug spray!"

"Shino-san! _Jyuuken_-"

"Hinata-chan! _Por que?!"_

"…S-Sakura-chan… gome--"

"BOO!!"

"KYA!!"

"Wow… she fainted!"

"I know right? Double crossed!"

"Literally!"

"No! HINATA-CHAN!!"

"BAKA!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!!!!!"

"Huh? New record!"

"Did you see what she did to Naruto!? I'm not fighting her!!"

"C'mon Choji! Have some balls!"

"Demo Ino!"

"Ahem, I'm sorry to interrupt this lovely conversation, but SAY HELLO TO MAH LITTLE FRIENDS!!!"

"-Insert two girly screams here-"

"Well… This is troublesome…"

Shikamaru watched silently from his hiding spot as each shinobi from his quickly assembled team fought with one of the clones of the pink-haired kunoichi that they had been trying to capture. After his previous plans had failed, ('_incredibly'_ if he had anything to say about it) he had taken to attacking from the shadows. It made sense since his jutsus heavily relied on the presence of shadows, but there was another main reason he remained hidden throughout his attacks.

"Stuck up Hyuuga Neji, meet- NUCLEAR WEDGIE JUTSU!!"

"Don't you da—KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

Sakura, in her current psychotically unstable state, was a very dirty and scary opponent. In more ways than one.

'Who knew the Hyuuga could scream like a little girl?' 

The Nara genius chuckled nervously as he crawled to another bush to watch for a better opening. As he positioned himself to hit a nearby clone that was currently grappling a leashed Kiba (who happened to be panicking and calling out for Akamaru who had yet to reappear) he heard a 'snap' of a twig behind him. Throwing a kunai over his shoulder before turning around, Shikamaru released a shaky breath when he realized who it was.

"Naruto…"

The whiskered nin laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck while holding up the thrown kunai in two fingers. The other glared as he crouched down along with him.

"Gomen! I was just on my way back after I got punched so far and saw you here."

"Wasn't that one of your clones though?"

"Iie. I needed a way to escape from her in a way that didn't seem so suspicious. Knowing Sakura-chan, it was only a matter of time until she would hit me like that."

"Ah. Smart move even for a moron like you."

"Yea- hey!"

"Shhh!!"

"Gomen."

Naruto peeked over their hiding place to see Kiba now hog tied and Lee having what looked to be a insult battle with one of the clones. He snickered at Kiba's fate and turned back to Shikamaru who had managed to nail a clone that was trying to sneak up on Tenten who was already occupied with one already.

"So…"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Sasuke-teme found her?"

"How did you know?"

"I'm not as dumb as I look Shikamaru, I happen to be an expert on clones."

"Ah."

"It was obvious to me the moment he 'poofed' out!"

"…Baka-Naruto…"

* * *

"So Sasuke… Are you going to kill me?" 

He glared harder at the pink-haired kunoichi as he positioned his blade closer to her flesh to the point where it was barely grazing it. She smirked carelessly and lifted a hand to grip the katana softly near her neck.

"Why don't you just do it? I'm annoying to you right?"

"…"

"You've said that so many times. You probably just want to get rid of me."

"…"

"And you'll throw my body on a cold, hard, fucking bench!"

Sakura instantly tightened her grip on the blade to where it cut through her gloved hands drawing blood. She stuck out her right foot between his legs, hooked it around the left one, and pushed her body forward tripping him. Sasuke, having activated with his Sharigan, had anticipated this, removed his blade from her neck, brought his weapon arm to his side, and wrapped his other arm around her waist, bringing her down with him. She was slightly shocked as he let his back hit the floor before flipping them to where he had her once again pinned, but this time to the ground.

Quickly recovering from the shock, Sakura let out a grunt as she used her chakra-enhanced strength to flip their positions to where she was on top. Unfortunately for her, Sasuke used the slight momentum to repeat her action and once again, she found herself on the bottom. But Sakura was always stubborn and soon the two found themselves rolling around in the soft grass.

This went one for about five minutes before Sasuke finally gained the upper hand and pinned her wrists above her head with his left hand while his right hand sheathed his sword halfway into the earth right by her face. They were both panting by this time and he had to focus on not noticing how every time Sakura took a deep breath, her chest would press harder onto his, which was starting to arouse him. He focused on glaring at her which she more than gladly returned. Though after awhile, his intense gaze got to her and she turned away with a light blush adorning her cheeks, but her glare remained set on her face.

"Why won't you… give up on capturing me?"

He was caught slightly off guard by this question but he managed to hide it. It was true though. Why was he still trying to catch her? He told himself they were orders from the dobe since he was the first one who told him to go after her. But since when did he let the dobe boss him around? He's never paid attention to orders from him and he knew that he most certainly wasn't going to start soon. Favors were okay, but orders? Was there another reason he came for her? Was he, dare he say, worried about the outcome of this bloodline awakening she was experiencing?

No. She was annoying to him and he didn't care that way for her.

"Sasuke…do you… no… you don't care about me…"

Gazing into her teary-eyed face was all it took and before he knew it, he had crashed his lips onto hers.

* * *

Back at the training grounds where the old Konoha 12 (currently 10) were currently fighting, the Sakura clones slowly paused in their attacks. Slowly, a blush creeped up on each face as they began to twitch or panic randomly. 

"W-w-w-what the-"

"Eeeeeeeh?"

"N-n-n-n-n-no w-w-way!"

"O-o-oh gawd…"

The shinobi picked themselves up and regrouped as they watched the clones that seemed frozen in their positions and freaking out in many different ways. Some covered their faces in nervousness, others dug their hands into their hair and panicked, and a few giggled awkwardly. To say that the other nin were weirded out was an understatement.

"Ano… What's wrong with them?"

"Yeah, they seem… flustered or something like that."

Shikamaru turned to the two speakers, Ino and Tenten, before looking back to the spazing clones.

'If I'm not mistaken, Uchiha found the real one…and from the looks of it…' 

He smirked at the thought as he turned his head up to the clouds, watching them lazily drift by. He seemed at peace for a few seconds before his face twisted into something of a disturbed look.

'_Oh gawd… the images…'_

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Woo! Finished with this chappie. Finally. Yea... I wanna do a vote... should a add a lime/ lemon to the next chapter or something? Or should I not put one in? I need opinions cuz to be honest, I dunno if I should... hmm... decisions decisions... XD**

**Anywayz, it'd be nice of if you guys could tell me what you think about my other fic that I just started working on! Please check it out and if possible, throw in some critics! **

**Reviews bring motivation!! **


	15. Inner plottings

**Okay peoples, its once again, update time! And this is what most of you have been waiting for (or at least, you might have been… I dunno)… A lemon!… not!**

**Yea, okay, so the vote said lemon… but here's the thing… I cannot for the sake of all my sanity (which is not much) write a lemon. I've tried and it either comes out really extreme… or really stupid… yea… not gonna elaborate… but yea… SO, I went for the next best thing. A lime… Or at least as close to a lime as I can get. I dunno… you tell me.**

**Anywayz, for those of you who don't want one, then WARNING: LIME AHEAD!!!**

**Enjoy… maybe next time I can get a lemon right… XD**

**Disclaimer (done by Naruto): She doesn't own Naruto (oh wait that's me)!! And she sucks at writing a good lemon! Believe It!**

**Me:…I know… -sob-… and it's dattebayo… -goes into a corner and sulks-**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

It was like a sudden addiction to a drug as his lips met hers. He felt light-headed, infused with a new source of energy (probably lust, but he couldn't really tell at the moment) and just plain intoxicated by her taste. He wanted more and he would be damned if he couldn't satisfy this sudden need to just take her over. His kiss became feverish and needing, but she would not submit as her lips stretched under his into a deep scowl. She was challenging him and he was not going to back down. Uchiha's never gave up and never refused a challenge. He wanted more of her and he was going to get it!

A muffled moan escaped her lips as he began letting his hands grope around her sides and up to her chest. Sasuke smirked when he heard it. She was obviously trying to suppress it since he began kissing her.

'_Never underestimate the power of an Uchiha!'_

Her scowl was still in place and he barely wondered how she managed to keep it that way through her moan, but he simply ignored it as his right hand reached up to cup her breast through her shirt fabric. A good squeeze and he was rewarded with a gasp from the kunoichi, which allowed his tongue entrance to meet hers. The minute they made contact was when their battle for dominance began. He had managed to overpower her.

When air was much needed, he broke off from the kiss and slowly began to make his way down her jaw and neck as her breath turned into deep pants. His hand that had cupped her breast traveled upwards towards her zipper and slowly but steadily began to pull it downwards. He kept trailing kisses down her collarbone to her chest as the falling garment revealed more and more skin to his hungry mouth.

Sakura's moans grew louder as he traveled further and further down her body, stopping to nip and suck on her soft, pale pink flesh. Sasuke's hand that was not working her blouse zipper moved down to her nether regions and dipped ever so subtly into the waistband of her skirt and shorts. He heard a sharp intake in breath from the kunoichi below him as his fingers brushed her womanhood through the fabric of her panties. He smirked as he felt the frantic beating of her heart when he began to fiddle with the waistband of the under garment as well.

"…S-…S-...St-stop…"

Her plea was unheard as he indulged himself further into the crevice of her neck, inhaling her scent as he kissed her collarbone and bit down on a particularly sensitive spot that brought out a low moan from her. Sasuke was in a cloudy haze of lust that he could barely hear her colorful protests as he continued his ministrations. He let two fingers wander into the confines of her underwear before a shocked and confused voice snapped him out of his daze.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Alarmed, the ex-avenger looked up into the scared, innocent, jade eyes of Haruno Sakura.

'_Wait a minute- they're not emerald but-SHIT!'_

He looked to her forehead where her hitai-ate had slipped off revealing half-erased kanji that had once boldly spelled "INNER."

'_Is she regaining control of her mind?'_

"Sasuke-kun!" he looked back into her frightened eyes and felt a sudden heavy weight in his heart at how fragile she looked at the moment. "W-w-what's going on? W-why are you- ah!"

Sakura cringed as an enormous headache began consuming her, and Sasuke took this as a chance to quickly zip up her blouse (which he apparently had only managed to unzip a little more than half way), remove his hands from their inappropriate positions, and get off from atop her body. She groaned in pain as her hands came up to clutch her head as the tattoo upon her forehead began fading back in. She released her throbbing head as a few spasms racked her body causing her to grit her teeth. In seconds she thrashed around on the floor as the tattoo became more defined and seemingly bolder than what it once was.

Sasuke, although a little stunned from the sudden chakra pulses the pink-haired nin emitted from her ordeal, took some chakra infused string and prepared for a good moment to strike. He watched as the kunoichi finally ended her wild frenzy and slumped from a sitting position. The Uchiha took advantage and bound her wrists together and behind her back tightly, as well as used some rope for her feet too. When he finished, he felt a pair of eyes on him and looked up to see Sakura giving him a tired glare-eyes, once again, a dark shade of emerald.

"B-bastard…"

"…"

"I wanna kick…your…ass…"

Her eyes closed and to Sasuke, it seemed as if she finally passed out. With a short sigh, he ran a hand through his raven spikes contemplating what he had done- or rather, what he was about to do minutes ago.

'_Get a grip Uchiha. Were you really that unable to control yourself? Pathetic!'_

He shook his head as he sheathed his discarded sword and pocketed Sakura's hitai-ate, which was lying on the ground next to her. Then, with a low grunt, he hefted the girl over his shoulder and positioned her comfortably (or as comfortably as one could get in that kind of position) so as not to hurt her on their travel back to the Hokage Tower.

He took a quick glance to the girl he carried and couldn't help but sigh.

"You're so annoying… always calling out to me…"

Unknown to him, a light smirk danced upon the medic's lips.

* * *

"**Augh… what was that about?"**

"_**Awake are we?"**_

"…"

"**N-NANI! Who are you? And what- woah!"**

"_**Don't make that face! You're gonna make me laugh!"**_

"_...funny…"_

"_**Hey it giggled! Yay!"**_

**"What in Kami's name-"**

**"_Didn't your mother ever tell you it's bad to swear in Kami's name?!"_**

**"What? I'm not swearing I was just going to say-"**

"…_Bad forehead…"_

**"Hey!" "_Wow, never saw that one coming."_**

**"What? No! Hey! What's going on- huh?"**

**"_Go on."_**

**"…"**

**"_Just take my hand! Mou, I'm not gonna do anything. You can trust me. Honest."_**

**"Demo…"**

"…_Do it…"_

**"Okay, fine. Can't disagree with that face."**

**"_True."_**

** "So… What is going to happen now?"**

**"_Beats me! Gah! Just kidding, seriously. Don't make that face!"_**

"…_Silly…"_

**"Alright so… you're not gonna-"**

**"_Heh. I know what you're thinking. Don't worry. Everything will be all right. And yes, this is the only way now."_**

**"Hai. I'm ready."**

"_**Good. Watch the blush!"**_

**"Ah!"**

"…_Naughty naughty…"_

* * *

"That was the weirdest thing I have ever seen." 

"You're telling me."

The rest of the Konoha 12 was still at the training grounds watching as the last of the Sakura clones finished 'poofing' away. They had spent the last 10 to 15 minutes just staring at the scene before them, which was that of different clones having odd, emotional spasms. Some had started laughing in away that seemed to be denial, others had started clutched their heads and muttered random gibberish that sounded like:

"OMGWTFBBQOHRLY? NOWAILMFAODONOTWANT!!"

A few took to fetal position and mumbled incoherent things as they rocked back and forth while the rest went insane in their own, unique ways (a personal favorite of Naruto was when he saw one clone go up to another, shake her violently screaming something about "OMG THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!! PINCH ME I'M DREAMING!!" before getting launched into infinity via super punch). Eventually, as the time passed, the clones began 'poofing' away of their own accord until the last one left with a bright, cherry red blush covering her face.

The shinobi were utterly baffled on the occurrence, although, it seemed as if a certain Nara genius had an idea of what was going on. His constant grimace throughout the ordeal made everyone suspicious, but none were brave enough (or rather, they just didn't want to know) to ask.

After a couple more minutes of standing in somewhat stunned silence, the command was given for the group to head back to the Hokage Tower. No objections were made even though many were curious as to what exactly happened and why they had not retrieved the targeted kunoichi. However, everything was made quite clear the minute they entered the Hokage's office to find a semi-annoyed Uchiha Sasuke with an awakening Haruno Sakura slung over his shoulder with both wrists and feet bound.

Naruto was going to have a field day with this.

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**W00T! I is finally finished! Yay… ugh… I suck so bad at lemons… You won't believe how many times I had to retype this chapter until I realized that 1) a lemon would not fit well here cuz of how I had the story line planned and 2) I couldn't write a lemon to save my life… le sigh… yea… sorry if I disappointed you guys… but I promise- Next time, I WILL GET IT RIGHT!!!**

**Reviews bring motivation! And I would love it if I got a few more hits on my other story that I'm also working on. I just started getting into to it, so I understand if it doesn't seem that interesting, but it gets good!**

**Yay! Big thanks to my beta CuriousGypsy! Thanks for helping me correct my grammar mistakes!**

_CuriousGypsey: No problem PsychoticHawk. But please… GET STARTED ON THE NEXT CHAPTER!_

**Holy crap I was seriously not expecting that little note. XD**


	16. Bindings released and Jutsu ready

**OMFG I UPDATED QUICKLY!! XD**

**Seriously… that's new. But hey, when you have to stay home alone for a whole day, that's where it gets you. I admit, I was fueled by boredom, your reviews, and the sweet sugary taste of 3 cans of this new cola my parents bought. Yea, that stuff is like an energy drink… Incan Cola I think it's called… yea…**

**Anywayz, there's a guest appearance of my beta's character here. Yep. It's a little thank you kinda thing for all her helpful proofreading that she takes time to do even though she barely ever gets time with all her AP classes in school. Yep.**

**Now onto the next exciting chapter of DSCB!**

**Disclaimer: Dun own Naruto. Ichigo half mines. Other OC is Betas. MUNKIS.**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

"This is great! Now that everyone's here, we can start!"

The shinobi couldn't help but sweat-drop a little from Ichigo's slightly giddy demeanor. But from the deep, annoyed scowl on Tsunade's face that clearly read, "FAIL," one could easily tell why. Not to mention, the "subtle" 'clink clink' of the ANBU's mission wallet pretty much gave it away.

Tsunade muttered small curses under her breath as she glared at the Uchiha standing before her. Sasuke merely raised a brow in mild interest.

'_Hn. It's not my fault you bet on the Dobe.'_

A small groan brought the ex-avenger's attention to the kunoichi that was flung over his shoulder. After an affirmative nod from Ichigo, he released his hold on her and simply let her drop to the floor with a small thump.

"Augh! Sweet geezus that hurt!"

She glared up at the stoic nin who had walked to the side to stand next to his other blond teammate. He didn't pay her any attention as the blond leaned over to comment about his unchivalrous act. Her glare intensified as he just shrugged it off nonchalantly and returned to his normal, stoic persona.

The kunoichi began to grind her teeth as she tried to fight off her bindings, but noticed that they were pulsing with chakra making her unable to dispose of them.

"Don't bother." She snapped her gaze up to see her cousin smirking at her knowingly. "If you haven't noticed already, that's the same gauze I gave Sakura- or should I say, you, when you began to re-emerge."

The pink-haired medic scowled as she stared at the wrapping that unwound itself from the shadows of the string. No wonder her enormous strength failed her. Sakura sent another glare at her cousin.

"Glare at me all you want, but you can't really do much in that state. Even if by some miracle you break the seals, you're still surrounded."

Ichigo motioned to both her friends who had spread out in a circle around her, and of course the Hokage and her assistant.

Sakura smirked and stuck out her tongue.

"Like I care right now. At least I have a hostage!"

Tsunade couldn't help but scowl even more as she stared at the girl that was supposed to be her apprentice. Never had she heard the medic talk so mockingly in all her years of training her. It didn't seem like she was herself, but then again, this was the side that was kept secret from the world- the side that was hidden for years and actually a powerful bloodline that held a great amount of chakra and skill.

The Godaime cleared her throat to get Ichigo's attention that seemed to be in a glaring contest with "Sakura."

"You said something about a jutsu that will help Sakura regain control of herself?"

"Hai. Demo… We have a slight problem that I just remembered…"

"What could it possibly be?"

"Well, for the jutsu to work, we need her to be unconscious."

"The solution is simple. Use a Genjutsu to put her to sleep."

"If it were that simple I would, but I can't have another jutsu in effect while doing this jutsu. Also, I need all my chakra to keep it going because to be honest, I don't know how long it'll have to be in effect."

Naruto instantly thought for the worst.

"EH? THEN YOU'RE GONNA HURT SAKURA-CHAN?"

"URUSAI NARUTO!!"

"DEMO BAA-CHAN!"

Soon, they were in another one of their verbal/ scream fights, causing many eardrums to shatter.

"STOP SCREAMING I'M TRYING TO THINK!"

-Knock knock knock-

"OH WHAT NOW?"

Everyone could pretty much imagine the person on the other side of the door cringing back in fear from Ichigo's yell.

"Ano… It's just Tsukene Appuru. I'm here to deliver a mission report. Or is this a bad time?"

"Tsukene- OH SNAP!!"

A light bulb went off in Ichigo's head as she practically tackled open the door in excitement. The person on the side stood startled as she still had her hand outstretched to knock once more.

"Appuru-chan! It's great to see you!"

"Eh? Ichi-nee-chan!" Appuru squealed.

The full Konoha Twelve turned their attention to the girl standing at the door. She was wearing a large, black trench coat that reminded them of a certain proctor from the Chunnin exams, and under it a gray sleeveless shirt and a dark green skirt with fishnet leggings under. She also wore black knee high boots, much like Sakura's except they didn't have heels.

TenTen's expression brightened when she saw her.

"Oi! Appuru-san!"

Said girl shifted her gaze to the waving kunoichi.

"Ten-chan! Ohayo!"

Most of the shinobi looked back at TenTen with curiosity as Kiba asked what was on everyone's mind at the moment.

"You know her?"

"Yep! All the mistresses know each other, and I do happen to be Konoha's Weapons Mistress while she's the Poison Mistress!"

She received many odd looks for that but they were quickly shrugged off as Tsunade cleared her throat once more to get their attention.

"Well, Appuru-san, just give it to Shizune. I won't be able to read it at the moment because…" Here she shot a 'don't-forget-about-our-current-situation' glare at Ichigo. "We have an important matter to take care of."

"Okie-dokie!" Replied Appuru as she dropped off the scroll with Shizune. As she reached the door, she was stopped by the pink-haired ANBU.

"Hey Appuru-chan, do you have that sleep potion with you?"

"Which one? The hang-over sleep one, the eats-you-from-inside-as-you-sleep one, the-"

"No, no! Not those. Just the regular one that just knocks you out until the user decides to awaken you?"

"Hai, hai! It's right here!"

Appuru pulled out a little vial full of clear liquid and handed it to Ichigo.

"Yosh! Arigato."

"No prob. Bye-bye everybody. Oh Ichigo, should I tell Aniki you said hi?"

"You can LEAVE now!"

The girl giggled childishly before shutting the door on her way out.

Ichigo cursed slightly under her breath as the small blush that had taken over her face receded. She turned to Tsunade and held up the little flask in one hand and smirked.

"No need for violence when we have this. It'll knock her out in one go."

"Then that'll work perfectly."

The bound kunoichi snorted.

"As if I'd let you pour that down my throat!"

"Really now? The minute this touches your tongue, it's straight abyss for you."

When Sakura opened her mouth to retort, her cousin had shoved the contents of the vial into her mouth. She gagged and coughed out some liquid, but it was too late, as darkness quickly consumed her.

"D-damn… y-you…" And she was out like a light.

After knocking her out, Ichigo released Sakura's bindings and positioned her on her back with her arms next to her and legs outstretched. She bit down on her thumb, drawing blood, and drew a large circle around Sakura before proceeding to write a bit of kanji on her forehead, arms, and on the back of her neck. When she was done, she inspected the area to make sure there were no smudges.

"Ok, I'm done. Now," She called the group's attention. "I'm going to need a lot of help from you guys."

They nodded, signaling that they were listening.

"Who among you are Sakura's closest friends? The ones she trusts the most?"

Instantly, Naruto and Ino stepped forward. Ichigo just stared.

"That's it? Ok-"

Before she could finish, Naruto pulled Hinata and Sasuke forward while Ino dragged Shikamaru too.

"Okay. That's better."

"Uh, Ichigo-chan. Why is it that you only need Sakura's closest friends?"

Ichigo smirked knowingly, obviously expecting the question.

"Well, this is gonna sound weird, but you're going to be sent into Sakura's mind to 'find her' and-"

"Wait-WHAT?"

'_I'm really hating these constant interruptions.'_

'**DAMN STRAIGHT!'**

"You're going to travel into Sakura's mind- let me finish before you interrupt or I'll castrate you- and you're going to help her regain control. I would go, but the simple fact is, this task is only to be done by those closest to you that are not of blood-relations."

The small group nodded.

"You will be journeying through various memories of hers as well as encounter some more locked emotions running around there. There is also a high probability that you will come across her… wandering youth."

At the word youth, everyone cringed expecting Lee to shout out in enthusiasm. They were surprised when they received no reaction and momentarily stared at the boy who was still wearing the outfit Sakura had dressed him in, and was chewing bubblegum happily. He quickly noticed them and flashed a Peace sign.

"Yo! It's all 'bout Old-School ya'll!"

They sweat-dropped before returning to the problem at hand.

"Anyway, this jutsu is much like the Yamanaka clan's one, but then again, not exactly. I'll let you decide on that yourself. So are you ready?"

Ichigo looked at the determined faces in front of her. Naruto's blue eyes were hard set, yet tinged with optimism; Hinata maintained a calm posture but also serious eyes; Ino's brows were furrowed in concentration while Shikamaru kept his relaxed position; Sasuke, as usual, looked stoic and emotionless, but one could see a spark of anxiousness in his onyx orbs.

"YOSH! We'll definitely save Sakura-chan! DATTEBAYO!"

'**Gotta love the gaki's guts.'**

_'Yep. By the way, I'm going to need your help here as well. If I run out of chakra, you're going to be let loose for a bit.'_

'**Sweet!'**

_'Behave or else!'_

'**Yea… Whatever.'**

The ANBU directed her gaze to the rest of the shinobi that were staying in the room.

"I'm going to need your cooperation as well. You need to be ready for anything that could disrupt this process. Also, if I happen to run out of chakra, my Inner will take over, and if she runs out, then one of you will have to be willing to sacrifice some of your own to help. Not only that, Sakura may start thrashing at some point. If that's the case, you'll be allowed to hold her down. Understood?"

They all nodded once more.

"Ok. Now to start." She formed the sign of the ram. "Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Sasuke! Place two fingers on Sakura's forehead and get ready. It may feel weird at first, but don't fight it. Here we go!"

As fast as she could, Ichigo made several hand signs before slamming her palm on top of Sakura's forehead, over the other nin's fingers.

"HARUNO CLAN OUGI: NAITEKI KINKOU NO JUTSU!"

Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, and Sasuke's bodies turned into smoke-like chakra and in an instant, were sucked into Sakura's mind.

_'Good luck!' _

* * *

"… **Odd, I feel something."**

_"**Ah… We have some visitors."**_

"**So it seems."**

_"…Friends…"_

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**W00T finished! Now we're gonna get to see the wonders of Sakura's mind (lol, I wonder how dirty it is? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)**

**Appuru also makes an appearance woohoo!! You might see her in another fic that both my Beta and me are hopefully (keyword-HOPEFULLY) gonna write.**

**Anywayz, reviews bring motivation! Flamers and character bashers will feel the wrath of my sharpened spoon wielding munkis! **

**Oh and btw, the Jutsu name translates to: HARUNO CLAN SECRET: INNER BALANCE JUTSU. (Oh yes… I'm so original- note the sarcasm) XD**


	17. The small girl with the wide forehead

**Hey everyone! It's that time again! It's-**

**_Peanut Butter Jelly Time! Peanut Butter Jelly Time! Peanut Butter_-**

**...hehe... uh yea... Nevermind... had a random moment there. So yea, I'm updating again which is amazing since I've been so piled with German and Anatomy homework, but yea, I managed it and the thus you have this chapter! Yay! (and thankfully, the homework has also been done and there will be none for awhile!)**

**Anywayz, this chapter is in a different POV from the usual. It was kinda an epiphany that I had in class... In the middle of a test which was pretty funny but whatever. And for those of you who like NaruHina, then this is your chappie (well at least I think it is)**

**Onto teh story!**

**Disclaimer: Here's a joke- I own Naruto!... Okay stop laughing, I know it's not true... I don't. Kishimoto-sama does. **

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

NARUTO POV

It was an odd sensation you know?

I felt like I was floating, but at the same time, like I was submerged in water. I couldn't really breath.

What happened again? I can't really-

Oh right. Ichigo-chan performed that jutsu so we could save Sakura-chan. But we're supposed to be in her mind or something right? Then why does it feel so empty right now? It's dark and I don't know… damp. But there's also this feeling. It makes me feel… Weak.

Is this how Sakura-chan feels right now?

I managed to turn my head and I see some weird, body-shaped mist. It's floating next to me and it looks like-

Hey it's Hinata-chan!

Why does she look like mist? Is that how I look?

I try to look at myself, but I can't. All I see is the blackness… and other mists. Those are probably the others: Ino, Shikamaru, and Sasuke-teme.

Suddenly, I feel a stronger pull. It was that feeling of vertigo a I usually get when I'm jumping through the high trees. I'm pretty used to it by now. But this one was pretty surprising if you ask me. It made me want to scream.

Before I know it, I'm standing on solid (and kind of wet) ground. I can actually see my body now.

I turn back to Hinata-chan and see that her misty body is coming together. The cloudy dew is swirling around her and disappearing as more solid body parts appear. Finishing with her head, it disappears and she looks at me. A cute smile is on her face.

Did I ever mention how much I love it when Hinata-chan smiles? She looks like an angel. She makes me feel like nothing's impossible when she smiles. And I know- I love her.

"Hey Hinata-chan! That was a fun ride huh? Are you okay?"

She nods her head with the smile still on her face. I really want to kiss her right now.

"Hai. T-The others are here."

Although I just want to keep looking at her beautiful expression, I turned my head to greet the others who appeared in the same way Hinata-chan did. Shikamaru's face was slightly pale for some reason.

"That last fall… Was a bit too troublesome for my stomach."

I snickered when he leaned on Ino who had this "now-you're-making-this-troublesome-for-me" like face. Sasuke just stood there with his arms crossed and always stoic expression. That smug bastard. I know he's feeling weird too.

"Shika got sick on that last drop! Hah!"

"Urusai baka."

I grinned at him as he regained his composure and pushed away from Ino. I could see the reluctance in his eyes when he did so. Ino looked a bit disappointed as well.

"Well, now that everyone's here, what do we do?"

"We find Sakura-chan!"

"I know that baka!" Ino glared at me. It's never failed to scare me. "I mean, how are we supposed to find her? It's pitch black, and the only light seems to be coming from our bodies!"

We all checked our surroundings just to make sure we didn't miss anything.

"Hn. Did she send us into the Dobe's mind instead? It seems pretty empty in here."

"TEME!!"

That's kind of shocking that Sasuke cracked a joke, but I'm pretty used to it when we hang out. He IS my brother you know. But he sure does love to piss me off.

"N-Naruto-kun, calm down."

"Demo, Hinata-chan-"

Her pleading gaze made my heart skip a beat. I retreated, but I will still get back at the bastard! He one that battle, but he still hasn't won the war! HA!

-_sniff-_

Huh? What was that?

_-sniff sniff-_

We all froze in our spots. There some weird sound echoing throughout the darkness.

_-sniff- hic-sniff-_

Wait. That sounds like somebody's crying. We all looked around in confusion.

"Hinata-chan, can you use your Byakugan here?"

"I'll try._Byakugan!_ "

_-sniff-_

"T-there's a figure where Ino's facing."

"Yosh! Let's go check it out!"

"Hold on Naruto. It might be a trap."

"Shikamaru, do you really think Sakura-chan would set up a trap in her own mind?"

"Yes."

Alright, I couldn't really argue to that blunt comment.

"How about we proceed cautiously?" Ino sounded pretty eager but at the same time worried.

Shikamaru sighed and I know he muttered "troublesome" in that breath. He lets Ino get to him too much. But I can't really talk since I'm the same with Hinata-chan.

"Alright. Let's go."

We followed Hinata-chan carefully through the darkness and soon we found ourselves in front of a little girl- about 6 if you ask me- sitting with her knees up to her chest, and her small hands covering her face. She was crying so softly, that we could barely hear her sobs. What got me the most was how fragile she looked. Something clenched at my heart and I just wanted to make whatever was bothering her, go away.

However, Ino beat me to it.

"Hey…"

She looked up in surprise, and immediately, I recognized her as my pink-haired teammate and friend.

"W-who are y-you? A-are you g-gonna m-m-make fun of m-me t-t-too?"

I looked at Ino whose face seemed to reflect something of deja-vu. A sad smile broke out on her face, and she stepped forward to this little Sakura.

"No. Why would I do that?"

"Cuz…Everyone a-always makes fun of m-my big forehead..."

Ino crouched down, reached out, and placed her hand over Sakura-chan's forehead, brushing the longs bangs to the side with care. I had never seen Ino be that comforting with Sakura-chan before.

She smiled a bit bigger.

"That's cuz you always hide it with your bangs. Maybe if you put your hair back and let it show, then people will appreciate it more you know?"

And before I knew it, Ino leaned in and placed a light kiss on the little Sakura-chan's forehead. When she pulled back, a red bow had appeared ontop of her head, tying her hair back and showing a cuter looking Sakura-chan.

I'd be lieing if I said I didn't want to crush her in a bear hug. I bet even the Teme would do that too. But then I'd call him a pedophile because it's obvious he wants her.

Okay, so I wouldn't really do that. He would probably Chidori my ass for that.

"Arigato… Ino-chan."

Chibi Sakura-chan gave a wide grin as she jumped up and into Ino's arms. She was kind of shocked at her reaction but caught her and hugged back.

"No problem Saku-chan."

It was new for me to hear Ino call Sakura-chan that, but maybe it's something they did back in their childhood days or something. I don't really know.

Chibi Sakura-chan released Ino and looked up making an odd expression as if she just noticed the rest of us.

"Huh? Ino-chan, who are they?"

Wait. Was she talking about me? How could Sakura-chan forget me! She should know that's it's her best friend Uzumaki Naruto! Doesn't she recognize me? What about Hinata-chan? Or Shikamaru? And the Teme!? Oh I'm sure she recognizes Sasuke-teme! She always does! I swear if she remembers him and not me I'm gonna-

"What? You don't remember Shikamaru?"

She shook her head.

"Hinata?"

She shook her head once more.

"Naruto?"

She stared at me for a few seconds as if she sort of knew me. Then to my complete disappointment, she shook her head.

"Aw c'mon Sakura-chan!"

"Shh! Urusai Naruto!"

Ino sent me a glare to which, for fear of my own health and wellness, I looked away and shut my mouth. She turned back to Sakura.

"What about Sasuke?"

"Never met him."

Oh, that's got to hurt. I turned to see Sasuke's expression, which was a slight frown, but from the look in his eyes, he was kind of worried and shocked. I'm pretty sure I saw some sadness too. Poor Teme.

Ino gave another sad smile before she took Sakura's hand in her own. She turned to us and started walking our way.

"If you haven't met them, then let me introduce you to Naruto, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Sasuke."

She pointed to each of us respectively and we responded with waves and nods.

I bent down to her and gave her a big goofy grin that she had once told me could cheer-up even Itachi when he was one foot in the grave. But I honestly doubt that. I don't think that guy could ever smile. Just the thought of him smiling gives me the shivers… Holy crap, a bunny would die if he did!

"Hey Sakura-chan! I'm UZUMAKI NARUTO!! I'm gonna be the next Hokage one day DATTEBAYO!"

She giggled and took my outstretched hand.

"Konichiwa Naruto-kun!" She chirped. She was so kawaii!

I felt Hinata bend down next to me and she let chibi Sakura-chan take her own hand.

"Ohayo Saku-chan. I'm Hyuuga Hinata. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Oh Kami-sama! Hinata-chan didn't stutter! She sounded even more sexy- err- hot- err… yea.

"Hinata-chan, your eyes look really cool! I think my Kaa-san once told me about eyes like that! I think they were called Bakujen?… no… Byagen?… No… wait… AH! Byakugan!"

"Hai. That's right."

"Yea!"

Little Sakura-chan threw her hand up in the air in victory and I mildly wondered if she was going to scream "Shanarro." Hinata-chan just looked at her and another, bigger smile appeared on her face. Did I ever mention how much I love Hinata-chan when she smiles?

Hinata stood up next to me as Sakura-chan examined Shikamaru who gave her a lazy smile and winked. I think I saw Ino blush even though it wasn't for her.

"I'm Nara Shikamaru. And even though it seems troublesome, I'm Ino's boyfriend."

I saw Ino flush a dark shade of red as Sakura-chan started giggling even more. It seemed like she realized something because her face changed from pure embarrassment to slight anger. She was still pretty red though.

"What do you mean troublesome you lazy as- butt!"

Shikamaru just yawned but I could've sworn I saw him send Ino a wink with a smirk. Who knew the lazy ass had it in him.

Ino just got quiet and mumbled things under her breath but her redness stayed in place.

Little Sakura-chan funally turned to face Sasuke-teme and I'm pretty sure I saw her happy expression droop a little. She walked until she was right in front of him and he just watched her with his hands in his pockets and a blank face. The bastard won't even lighten up even in front of a little kid!

Sakura-chan put her hand behind her back and shifted uncomfortably under his gaze as she stared at the floor. It almost look like she was caught in an act and was trying to get out of trouble with her parents.

"A-ano… What's your name?"

Sasuke only raised an eyebrow and looked at her questionably. I was really tempted to run over to him and punch him in the face to get some emotion from him. But I really don't think that's something that's okay to do in front of a little kid. Also, the fact that he would pay me back ten times really helped to refrain from hurting him.

"Hn."

"U-um…"

She was fidgeting more under his gaze and I could see that she was close to possibly crying again. I wanted to beat the Teme even more for that.

But what happened next surprised all of us.

Sasuke bent down on one knee and ruffled Sakura's hair who 'eeped' in shock. Then, he gave a light smile- yes, you heard me! Uchiha Sasuke-teme, the ex-avenger who killed his evil brother and is an unemotional bastard SMILED. Even if it was light, it was still a freaking smile!

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke." He reached out and brushed a tear that had fallen down her face when he shocked her. "Don't cry anymore. You have a perfectly fine forehead. I could just kiss it."

It wasn't the fact that the Teme insinuated that he would kiss Sakura-chan's forehead that shocked me. It was the fact that he actually leaned forward and pressed his lips to it that blew me away.

To make it even more heart-stopping, when he pulled back, he gave her another peck on the cheek!

Can anyone say APOCALYPSE?!

"I don't want to see you cry anymore."

Chibi Sakura-chan gave an even wider smile before jumping up and hugging Sasuke much like she did with Ino. He was surprised, but I have to say I was even more surprised when he hugged back and hefted her up onto him in a piggy back ride.

She looked out at all of us and started giggling again.

"You look like fishies!"

It was true. All of us, Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata-chan, and me, were gaping with our eyes bulging out at the scene before us.

We managed to snap out of our trances and laugh a bit. Though I think it was the most awkward laugh I have ever done… Nope… wait… There was that time with Kakashi-sensei loosing his book and stuff. But that's another story for another time.

"So, Saku-chan, do you know where to go?"

Ino looked at the miniature version of our pink-haired friend who suddenly had a very shadowed, gloomy look.

"_Someone is still lost here…If you leave with out them… they will still be lost."_

"Huh?"

_"They are still wandering…And the other is guarding them…"_

We all stood quiet at her words and immediately knew what she meant.

We weren't done here.

Sakura-chan was still stuck here.

But we are going to bring her back!

END NARUTO POV

* * *

"_**Oi! What do you think?"**_

**"That was mildly creepy, but really… It felt good…"**

"_**Heh, now for the fun part!"**_

**"Huh? Wait- what are--"**

* * *

"Hey guys look!" 

Naruto pointed to a small light that appeared in the distance where the faint shadow of stairs appeared.

"I think we're supposed to go that way! What do you think Sakura-chan?"

The little replica of their friend nodded from Sasuke's back.

"Alright, let's go, but remember- proceed cautiously."

"Yea, Yea! Lighten up Shikamaru!"

"… Troublesome baka…"

Picking up speed, they ran towards the stairs and began climbing deeper into Sakura's mind where soon, they began to see her memories.

Good. And bad.

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Hah! We've just reached the end of the beginning of their journey. Yay! Or did I just give that away? I dunno if I did...**

**A few notes on this- Yea, I made like 2 connections with the earlier episodes of the Naruto series. See if you can spot them! (munkis to who can!)**

**Anywayz, critiques are much appreciated, and I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Next chapter, we will start to explore Sakura's memories! Won't that be fun eh? **


	18. A friend's memories

**HEYA MINNA-SAN!! An update once more! SWEET! Yea... not much to say about this chapter. Mostly a bit more about exploring Sakura's mind and seeing a bit of memories. Fun ne?**

**Anywayz, munkis to you all cuz I feel like saying mah special wurd! XD**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Do I look like I own Naruto?... Oh wait you can't see me... And I was making such a funny face too XD!**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

INO's POV

Well, I have to say, that was a major shocker back there. I never imagined that the Uchiha Sasuke, aka Mr. "I-has-a-heart-of-frozen-stone-who-killed-my-own-brother-to-avenge-my-family-and-find-that-even-touching-someone-will-destroy-my-tough-exterior", would ever pull something like that!

Patting someone on the head, let alone hugging and kissing, a person of the opposite gender is a sure sign of the Apocalypse!

Kami-sama have mercy on us all! I don't wish to have my life ended by great balls of flaming rocks and watch the sky fall from the heavens!

Oh great. Now I'm starting to think like that baka Naruto. If Sakura were in her right state of mind, she'd definitely be making a bunch of blonde jokes right now. She would be giggling like she always does when I boss around Shikamaru while he mutters in an annoyed voice how "troublesome" the simple task I'm giving him is.

Sakura…

She's my best friend. I would never have imagined that she would have something like a Kekkei Genkai sealed within her. It's a pretty powerful one too.

I wonder what exactly happened to her that she got this "seal-point" that her cousin Ichigo-san told us about. I'm pretty sure I have an idea on what caused it too (cough-Sasuke-cough). Of course, you can never be too sure.

My heart clenched as I remembered finding this younger version of my life long friend. Little Sakura's expression of sorrow and pain brought back a barrage of memories of when we were just kids. Everyone would tease her for that forehead of hers and it was up to me to protect her from all those obnoxious bullies.

Now, I had to protect her from herself.

"Oi! Did it just get darker? Or is it just me?"

We all looked up at Naruto who was at the top of the staircase that we were currently climbing (why there's a staircase in Sakura's mind, I will never know. This wasn't here the last time I took over her mind). The light that surrounded his body from the moment we stepped foot in here seemed to have dimmed down a bit. I looked at my body, then Shikamaru's, Hinata's, and Sasuke's. Our lights were still pretty bright. I took a peek at this little Sakura's body and noticed that she didn't seem to give off any light now unlike before when we found her. Weird…

"Naruto-kun, the light around your body looks like it's dimming the higher up you go."

"Ah! You're right! Look!"

I watched as the orange-dressed idiot ran up a few more steps, his light dimming a considerable amount after each. We followed after him and soon, our own body lights were at the same brightness.

"Hmm… I wonder why this is happening…"

"Wow, Shikamaru doesn't know for once!"

"Urusai baka! Don't make fun of Shika-kun!"

"…Troublesome…"

I heard a soft giggle in what I could only assume was little Sakura. After I told her about dating Shikamaru, she would have random giggle fits when I would say "Shika-kun." It was cute, but slightly embarrassing all the same.

"Eh? Sakura-chan? Why are you laughing this time?"

"Ino-chan looks red again!"

She pointed a small finger at me from her position on Sasuke's back.

"She does, doesn't she?"

To my further embarrassment, both Naruto and Shikamaru laughed (with Shika-kun, though, it was more like snickering). I could feel my face heat up a bit more and glared at Sasuke.

"Hn. Why do you look pissed at me?"

"Cause…I can't glare at Sakura."

"Hn."

Way to go Ino. I just had to go and make a fool out of myself with Sasuke too. Woe is me.

"A-ano… Did anyone hear that?"

I turned to Hinata as the two idiots' laughter died down.

"Nani?"

Hinata raised a finger to her lips and a hand to her ear, signaling for us to be quiet. I sent a bit of chakra to my own ears to improve my hearing. That's when I heard it: voices.

My first thought was _How could there be other people in here?_ But I quickly noticed that the voices were way too familiar.

As fast as our feet could take us, we bolted the rest of the way up the stairs and found ourselves in a long hallway of screens. On each, a small clip of what looked like a real-life movie was playing and I couldn't help but feel as if I were in the theaters.

"What the heck? What are these? Movies?"

The baka couldn't get any stupider.

"Hn. Dobe. They're memories."

"Nani?"

As a matter of fact, they were.

All around us were memories of the past but from Sakura's point of view. I saw images of her parents, a few relatives, and many of her friends. There were so many of them that they filled up this hallway like pebbles in a riverbed. I'm willing to bet that some were dreams as well.

"Whoa! Sakura-chan has this many memories?"

"Everyone has many memories baka!"

Naruto pouted and complained to Hinata about me being mean. So what? You try putting up with your stupid questions idiot! Humph.

"Ne Sakura-chan! Don't you think Ino is being a- ara? She's asleep."

Sure enough, the chibi version of my friend had gone to sleep and had buried her face in Sasuke's shoulder. She looked oh so kawaii that you'd want to squeeze the living daylights out of her. I had to suppress a squeal- but it wasn't just because of her cutsie expression. If you looked closely at the Uchiha's face, you could see the makings of a very faint smile.

Sigh.

"Nande?"

Whoops, was that out loud?

"Nothing."

"Hn."

Hmph. Ice-block. Why I ever crushed on him before, I'll never understand. I have Shika-kun now and I'm very happy. (SHIKA-KUN! –squeal-)

Our attention refocused itself on the screens once more as we walked down the screen-illuminated hallway. It seemed like they were more or less in order since the deeper we went, the older Sakura sounded in the memories. I also noticed that the screens at the beginning were quite blurry, but as we progressed, they got clearer. No doubt the clearer they were the more fresh they were.

But there were also a few completely clear screens among the many blurry ones. These must have been the ones Sakura never wanted to forget.

"Oi, Ino! Look!"

"Calm down Naruto. Wha-"

I stopped in my tracks as an image of a six-year old girl with short, blonde hair and light blue eyes tying a red ribbon to the head of a six-year old pink-haired, green-eyed girl presented itself before me.

"That's… me."

I watched as the younger me told the younger Sakura about not giving back the ribbon and how to stand strong that way her beauty would stand out more.

'_Ino-chan…I want to be as strong and pretty as her. She's so cool. Arigato, Ino-chan. You' re a great friend.'_

Those words… were her thoughts at that exact moment? I couldn't believe it. I felt tears accumulate at the edges of my eyes as Shikamaru draped a comforting arm around my neck and pulled me in close. I still couldn't believe Sakura thought so highly of me. She was and is a great friend as well.

"Ne Ino, I guess your bossiness has come in good use, huh?"

Oh no he didn't.

"NA-RU-TO!"

"YIPE!"

"Shh! S-Sakura's still s-sleeping!"

You were saved by Hinata that time you blonde fox! Savor your small victory while it lasts! –Evil laughter-

"Ara? Is that me?"

Naruto was staring at another clear screen of a blonde, spiky-haired boy with whisker-like marks, and sorrow-filled blue eyes. A group of people had surrounded him and spat insults after insults. At the far back of the crowd stood a slightly mature six-year old Sakura (she was wearing the ribbon I gave her! –squeal-) holding an older man's hand. She looked up at him with wide, innocent, and curious jade eyes.

_"Otou-san, why are they yelling at that boy like that? Did he do something wrong? They sound really angry and he looks really sad."_

The man looked down at her and she met his teal-blue eyes with a few strands of grayish-red hair falling over them. He spoke with a deep, yet caring voice.

_"He didn't do anything wrong. In fact, he's a hero and we should treat him with respect. But many neglect to understand that. Instead, they believe he's different, but he's not. He's the same as everyone else here and should be treated equally."_

"_I don't really understand Otou-san."_

He ruffled her hair and smiled in a way that reminded me of my pink-haired friend and I realized: Sakura had her father's smile.

_"You are young, Sakura. But never forget, no matter whom, everyone's the same inside. We all have a heart and in that heart, we are all born with love and goodness that makes everyone equal. Never scorn those who are different. Instead, treat them with a smile. And if someone does harm to you or those you care about, be prepared to fight to protect them."_

"_Hai Otou-san!"_

He took her hand once more and with a final sad, but still notably curious, look at Naruto, they walked away from the crowd.

I looked over to see our blonde knucklehead tearing up as he looked away. Hinata walked over and embraced him as Sasuke came up and patted him on the shoulder in a brotherly gesture.

"Sakura-chan… your Otou-san… is a great man."

We let Naruto recompose himself before we continued and soon we found ourselves at another very vivid memory among the blurry ones. It showed a crying seven-year old Sakura in a black funeral dress embraced by an older woman who was dressed in a similar fashion and had some tears streaming down her face as well. She spoke in a soft, hushed, and soothing voice.

_"It's going to be alright Sakura honey. It was his duty."_

Sakura hiccupped and sobbed harder.

_"But why Okaa-san? WHY? Why did Otou-san leave! And now he's never coming back! I hate those missing nin! TRAITORS SHOULD DIE!"_

"_Sakura…Revenge is never a good thing. You'll regret it in the end."_

"_But Otou-san! He's never coming back!"_

I had to hold back my own tears as I watched how this young version of my best friend cried and hiccupped her heart out. Her sobs wracked her body as she clutched desperately at her mother's dress while the older woman embraced her tighter.

When her sobs died down, her mother turned and whispered in her ear.

_"Sakura, your Otou-san loved you and he still does even now that he's gone. He'll always be with you. Never forget that. He died a proud shinobi, and a happy man."_

She remained silent as her mother stroked soothing circles on her back.

_"Your father's love is in you Sakura. His spirit will always watch over you."_

"_Okaa-san…"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_I'll miss him."_

_"I will too honey. I will too. But just always keep him in your heart where your precious people will always be loved."_

"_Otou-san…"_

A few tears dripped down my cheeks as I stared at the final image of Sakura crying herself to sleep. I looked at the others and saw the pained expressions on their faces as well: Hinata was brushing away tears too, as Naruto hugged her closely to his chest, his own tears gathering in his eyes. I felt Shikamaru embrace me from behind and I settled back into his comfort. Sasuke glared harshly at the ground and his knuckles were turning white from clenching his fists. I think the traitor part must've hit him hard.

"I… never knew that Sakura's father died…"

"Sakura-chan never told us teme…"

"Ino did you-"

"Hai… but I never told anyone."

"Aa…"

"C'mon… We should keep moving."

With Naruto and Hinata leading the way, we continued down this tunnel of memories. Eventually we passed memories of Sakura's academy days, and soon we made it to her Gennin days. I had to laugh at a few of these- I mean, I've never heard of a technique like "1000 Years of Pain" and I've never seen Sasuke and Naruto eat so… enthusiastically just so they could pull off the tree climbing jutsu.

We saw images of the first Chunnin exam and I got to, once again, see my best friend get the crap beat out of her by those Oto-nin. The clearest images of all in this section were of Sasuke's curse mark. I had to hold back the bile in my throat as I saw how Orochimaru's face looked after multiple Katons and especially when I saw that face shoot out towards the screen, biting Uchiha harshly on the neck. Talk about snaky reflexes.

The following screen showed the prelims of the exam. Sasuke seemed to be interested in some of the fights (he had left after the first fight, so he didn't get to see much). He poked fun at Naruto for defeating Kiba with a "stench of victory." Being the baka he is, Naruto had to raise his voice in a string of curses but it was cut short after by yours truly. We reached a few other matches and heard Sakura's mental comments on each. Then, we reached OUR match and I experienced a second round of shivers running up my spine as I watched her Inner choke the daylights out of me (remind me never to jump into a Haruno's mind ever again!).

"Well that explains how your technique was canceled and why I've never seen you use it on her ever again in spars."

"Humph… I just hope she can't do that with this jutsu in effect."

"I don't doubt that she can. It is her mind after all."

"Shika-kun, as much as your logical opinions mean to me, shut up."

"…Troublesome woman…"

I ignored his comment and once more, we continued moving.

To my slight amazement, Sakura's memories on Sound and Sand's allied attack were mostly blurry (though I was caught in a genjutsu during this time, Sakura had told me most of what had happened). It appears that her mind was slightly hazy due to her head and back injury after Gaara had oh so "gently" pinned her to a tree (note the sarcasm). It was understandable. At least Gaara was on the good guys side now and she didn't have to worry anymore about her back breaking… by the hands of Gaara that is. I'm sure in this life as a kunoichi, she'll have more than a few backaches. Same with me…ow… now that's a painful thought.

The following screens were mostly blurry but still partially clear. It was mostly about team seven and I could see that both Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be relishing in the memories. At one point, they both seemed to be annoyed by an image of Kakashi pulling down his mask only to reveal- oh, you guessed it: another mask! I wondered what that was about but promptly ignored their bickering about big lips and buckteeth (talk about awkward coming from two guys).

And then, we reached an extremely vivid screen. Actually, it was more of a still image that greatly contrasted with the ones moving around it. It was an amazing but at the same time, horrific site: two comrades, faces contorted in hate and pain, unleashing the most powerful forces they could control at each other with no remorse to those around them, as a mere friend runs in between the chaos, tears leaking from her eyes, in an futile attempt to stop the incoming clash. Chidori versus Rasengan in Sasuke and Naruto's first clash stared back at us.

"Sakura-chan… Even now… she still remembers…"

"Aa…"

Poor guys. I don't think they would've ever thought they hurt their teammate this way. I know I would be traumatized if I ever saw Shikamaru and Chouji going all out like that. My heart would break to see them want to kill each other that bad.

I could only stand there and watch both boys with mixed feelings of sympathy and slight sorrow.

"Naruto. Sasuke. We should keep moving… Remember we have a mission to accomplish."

If it weren't for the fact that Shikamaru was clutching my hand in a vice-like grip, I would have thought he was being a cold-hearted bastard. But I would never call my Shika-kun that- but that doesn't mean I won't call him a lazy ass.

"M-m-minna-san…"

"Eh? Hinata-chan? Why are you so ahead of us?"

She wasn't that much ahead of us, but that wasn't the point. Hinata's face had an odd look to it and it set off alarm bells in my head. So before the three males in our crudely assembled team could make out what happened, I bolted to the end of the corridor where Hinata was…

…and I froze.

"Troublesome woman, why did you-"

I barely felt Shikamaru's breath on my neck hitch when he caught up.

"Oi! What's the big-"

I could feel a sudden mood change come from Naruto, and when he spoke next, his voice came in a low, cold, but raspy thunder.

"TEME."

If I were Sasuke, I wouldn't dare start to bicker. Thankfully, once he saw what we were gasping at, he instantly stiffened and the air around us became tense.

It was a dark night on the path to the village gates. The clouds obscured the moon like creeping tendrils of darkness before receding once more, away from it's powerful light. Two figures stood near a bench, wind billowing past them as the pale brightness of the moon illuminated their features.

There before me was the 12-year old image of both the shinobi next to me, and the kunoichi that will always be my friend. She stood silent among the tense quietness of the world around her. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of sympathy and understanding, but greatly tinged with sorrow as she stared uncertainly at the ground.

"_I know all about your past Sasuke. Even if you get revenge though…"_

'_Otou-san in heaven…I never forgot Kaa-san's words even after all this time…'_

"_It won't bring anyone happiness. Not even you Sasuke…"_

'_The words Kaa-san told me when you died…I've always held them in loose regards…'_

"…_nor me."_

' _I need them now…'_

A slow smirk descended upon younger Sasuke's lips.

_"I already know…"_

'_What? No!'_

Sakura snapped her head up to look at him with alarm.

_"I'm different from you all…I can't be following the same path as you guys…"_

'_You're not different Sasuke! On the inside we're…'_

"_Up until now, we've done everything as a group but there is something else…I must do."_

'_Otou-san… those words of yours long ago…I can't find them…'_

I looked at my friend's tear stricken face and wanted to reach out to comfort her. But I could only watch and understand something that I heard, but was never told about.

_"Deep inside my heart, I have already decided on revenge… For that reason only, do I live… I'll never be like you or Naruto!"_

'_No… No! Please! Otou-san, why can't he see the truth? Why?'_

"_Do you really want to go back to being alone? You told me how painful it was to be alone! Right now I know your pain!"_

'_He's blinded by darkness…He's in too deep…but I have to help him!'_

"_I may have friends and family, but…if you were to leave…"_

Her voice was considerably lower and I could hear her heartbeat as if it was my own. Sakura…

_"To me… To me… I would be just as alone as you…"_

The silence that ensued was unbearable, and sudden flash backs of happier times in Team 7 patterned the screen. My friend's tears were streaming down her cheeks and I soon felt my own come with them.

_"From here on out…We all begin new paths…"_

'_Otou-san…this boy…He hurts me always… and yet I… I…'_

"_I…I… LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!"_

'_I… can't help it…'_

"_If you stay here with me… there would be no regrets! Because everyday, we'd do something fun. We'd be happy… I SWEAR!"_

'_As a team… together…'_

"_I'd do anything for you!!! So…please, just stay with me…"_

'_This isn't just a silly crush Otou-san…Not anymore…'_

"_I'll even help you with your revenge… I don't know what I could do… But, I'll try my best at something…"_

'_Anything…I know Naruto and Kakashi-sensei will be there too…'_

"_So please…stay with me… Or take me with you if you can't stay here…"_

'_I know I'll regret that… but I love you too much…'_

My tears were flowing steadily by this time. From the slight sniffles that didn't come from the memory, I could only assume Hinata was as well. As Sasuke turned around and spoke, the light in Sakura's eyes dimmed.

_"You really are ANNOYING."_

'_No…I… failed… Otou-san…NO!'_

"_DON'T LEAVE!!! IF YOU DO I'LL SCREAM!"_

The image of Sasuke disappeared from in front of Sakura and he reappeared behind her. She was stunned.

His voice was low and for a moment, I wanted to rip it right out of him.

_"Sakura…"_

_"…"_

"_Arigato…"_

"…_!!!"_

'_Sasuke…-kun…"_

As Sakura succumbed to unconsciousness, the screen becoming a complete black, a bodiless scream that seemed to be coming from the memory echoed all around us, shaking us to the core. Soon, a low rumbling began from the far end of the hallway that we had started from.

"What the-"

Naruto couldn't even finish his question before everything around us started to shake and shudder as each memory drifted away in to the deeper confines of Sakura's mind.

"MOVE!"

Shikamaru's command was simple and managed to snap us all out of our current daze (I had to briefly wonder how little Sakura was still sleeping throughout this "headache". No pun intended).

We used our chakra-induced speed to reach the end of the hallway in a little less than a minute and the next thing we know, we're free falling.

Sakura, you're the best friend I could ever hope for, but right now, I think I'm on the brink of beating you senseless when we get out of here!

END INO POV

* * *

"Dammit! They've been pulled in deeper- right near her core!"

"Ichigo-san, is there anything we can do?"

"Gomen Tsunade-sama. I can only warn you right now though…"

Light pools of emerald darkened into an almost blackish green and a familiar Kanji engraved itself on her forehead.

"**I'll** be taking over for now!"

* * *

The free fall the five shinobi and the child experienced wasn't as long as they expected and to their amazement, they landed unharmed, and unscarred…well, physically that is. 

"I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Hold it in Ino."

"Easy for you to say…"

"Troublesome…"

Shikamaru sighed as he surveyed his surroundings, taking note of what looked like a medieval prisoner's cell (topped with blood stains and all).

"Hn… It smells like sweat and blood…"

"You got that right Teme. It reeks!"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

"Ah! Hinata-chan! What's wrong?"

"T-t-there's an odd figure in that corner… I c-can barely make them out with my Byakugan."

"Yosh! I'll check it out then!"

"Not so loud Dobe."

"Nani- Oh right… hehe… Gomen Chibi Sakura-chan."

The only response he got was a moan as the younger version of the pink-haired medic shifted in her sleep.

Naruto stepped quietly to the far end of the dungeon-like room they had fallen in, clutching a kunai just in case. He reached a figure that was lying in the corner in a death-like fashion. The minute his eyes adjusted to the darkness and recognized the body, he froze, dropping his kunai with a small 'clank' onto the floor.

"N-n-naruto-kun?"

"…S-s…"

"…"

"S-s-s-sa… S-sa…kura…chan?"

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

_CuriousGypsy : dun dun dun! Sorry! I couldn't help myself._

**My beta is a crazy hooker XD (you know you are!) But she does an excellent job!Go Gypsy! W00T munkis!  
**

**Anywayz, yea. Munkis to whoever can guess what happened to Sakura! (not to be mean, but I doubt you'll guess it! BWAHAHAHA! )**

**Reviews bring motivation and make me happy cuz I know if I'm doing good or not!**


	19. Illusions of truth

**GOMEN! PERDON! SUMIMASEN! ES TUT MIR LEID! EXCUSE MOI! SORRY! **

**Ugh, I took forever to update -bows on floor- forgive meh!... Yea... I've been going through hectic times especially after spring break... I guess I just lost my whole motivation to write for awhile... I was stuck in the hospital for a day and I wasn't allowed to think about anything I had to work on... yea... I had a near heart attack brought about by stress... That was scary... I actually thought I was gonna die...XP**

**But now after all that, and then the many things I had to catch up with at school, i didn't get much time but now, here i am with the new chapter. I'm sorry if it's lame and a bit stretched out, but I had to rediscover my creative juices... yep**

**Anywayz, you guys all clicked to get a story so here's your chapter! MUNKIS!!**

**Disclaimer: If I don't even own my hooker friend (she belongs to "PIMPOLA"-- You kno who you are!)** **then what makes you think I can own something worth more? XD**

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

SASUKE POV

The dobe was frozen stiff, cerulean blue eyes wide and panicking, as he looked over at the motionless form in the dark corner. His mouth was agape (it's so big I bet a large rat could crawl inside) and his hands were slowly clenching, knuckles turning white.

As cliché as it sounds, he looked like he had seen a ghost.

"S-sa…kura…chan?"

It was rare when his voice sounded so…unbelieving. When it did, ironically enough, you had to believe it.

But I couldn't.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

It was as if Hyuuga's voice flipped a switch that held his body stiff and unmoving. The dobe moved so fast that even I don't think Lee or I could've kept up with him. He was by the body in an instant, pulling frantically at the rusty, steel chains that held its bruised, bloody hands above the head.

We rushed over to him as he broke down crying and gasping out sentences like "No!" or "I won't believe it!" Nara and Yamanaka were tugging at him from his shoulders, ignorant of the limp body next to them. That is, until Hinata gasped, her hands flying up to cup her mouth, and dropped to her knees in shock.

"H-Hinata…chan"

The dobe's voice sounded hollow as he turned to look at her briefly, his previous spasms over. Her eyes were wide and tears quickly built up in them as she stared into the face of the figure in front of her.

Shikamaru and Ino finally decided to take a peek at it… and they too looked as if they had just watched their deceased sensei walk out of his grave.

I couldn't take it anymore. My curiosity got the best of me and hoping beyond hope it wasn't whom Naruto mentioned, I shifted my gaze to the ransacked figure…

… and felt like a thousand chakra-induced blows hit my torso.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't breath.

I couldn't hear.

I couldn't speak.

I could only stare at the motionless, beat-up, bruised, broken, and bloody body of one Haruno Sakura.

Her head was bowed, but the pink hair (that was not as bright as it usually was what with all the patches of red tangles) was unmistakable. Her arms were crisscrossed and chained together by her wrists above her head—blood dripping from her hands and down her arms, which could explain for some of the redness in her hair. Her right leg was tucked into her chest, a large gash on her knee cascading more of the red liquid down to her feet, and her left leg was out-stretched, adorned with black and blue bruises and noticeably bent in various places—obviously broken. She had scratches, bruises, and a few burns as well covering her body, and a few of her bones seemed to be fractured, dented, or broken.

By just staring at her body, you could notice all of these things. Who knew how extensive the damage was inside?

Ugh… I feel the bile rising in my throat.

I just don't want to look at her anymore. But I can't look away. I want to see her face. But at the same time I don't want to.

Can I bring myself to look at her face?

Before I could make up my mind, my eyes moved without my permission.

Traitors.

I stare at her once pretty—no… I can't deny it, her beautiful, smiling, innocent, yet mature face that is now covered with blood that runs down her scalp and onto her forehead and cheeks. Her eyes are closed but swollen and in a brief moment of deja vu, I remember them to be much like that time in the Chunnin exams around 4 years ago. Her lips are bloody, and more of that red liquid drips down the sides of her mouth.

A part of me is mildly relieved that the damage to her face isn't as bad as I thought it would be. From the look of her body, I thought her face was going to unrecognizable. In an odd way, I'm quite thankful. I would never really admit it out loud but… Sakura's bright, innocent face is the only thing I could think of to keep nightmares of my deceased brother away. Her smile is like a light out of the dark abyss of my vengeful memories.

"…_Mm…"_

The sudden noise nearly made me jump in surprise (as an Uchiha, it is unwise to keep your guard down). Shikamaru, Ino, and Hinata jumped up from their spots on the ground, still a bit shaken up from the sight that still lay before them, and raised their hands in defensive stances. Naruto, however, his eyes were wider than before, still disbelieving, but I could see a glimmer of hope shining in his cerulean orbs as he stared at Sakura's fragile form.

"S-Sakura-chan?"

"…_Mm…ah…"_

"She's breathing…she's breathing!!"

The dobe's relieved yells echoed throughout the cell and, before I could blink, the others had jumped to his side to help him remove the bindings that held her in place. As the last cuff and chain were removed, Naruto and Shikamaru picked up her body and laid her out to where she was on her back, her arms at her sides, legs gently moved together, and her head resting on Hinata's lap. From there, Ino took control of the situation with her medical skills and started running a diagnosis as quick as she could on my pink-haired teammate.

"Kuso! She's just as bad on the inside as she is on the outside!"

"Nani! Can't you do anything about it?"

"I'm working as best as I can here baka!"

"Just try harder!"

"Oi, troublesome Naruto! She's doing the best she can!"

"But if we don't hurry Sakura-chan will-"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

The sound of metal hitting metal filled my ears, deafening me momentarily.

"…Sasuke…"

Taking a quick glance out of the corner of my eye, I saw the surprised expressions etched onto the dobe's and Ino's faces. Shikamaru and Hinata glared back in my direction, the latter clutching a kunai tightly in a defensive stance. Satisfied that at least they kept their guard up, I turned my attention to my front where my own kunai was closing in on my chest from the amount of pressure being exerted on it.

"Heh. Not bad Uchiha. I see you still have your wits about you."

"Hn."

Her eyes narrowed into slits and I could see one of her veins throbbing at her temple from my response. What else was I supposed to say? Some lame comeback that the dobe would probably use? Tch. I'm not the bragging or taunting type…unless it's to Naruto.

"You must be a pretty retarded bastard to only be able to speak in one syllable sentences!"

My feet slid back as she pressed her kunai to mine with more force than before. Before I knew it, Naruto and Shikamaru were supporting me so I wouldn't fall back.

"_Mmmph..."_

Woah! WHAT THE HELL?

Ok…Something just moved on my back and it's definitely not the Dobe or Nara. It didn't sound like them either. Wha—

"… _I-itai…"_

"Hn?"

"…_W-why does it…hurt?"_

I lowered my voice to a whisper as I turned my head to the side slightly to the younger version of my teammate sleeping on my back. My eyes, however, maintained their frontal view as I kept my guard up from 'INNER'.

"What hurts?"

A shake of the head.

"…"

My brow furrowed even more as I contemplated younger Sakura's words in my head. What did she mean?

"Oi! Kusotare!"

'INNER' glared at me and I briefly wondered if Sakura used colorful language as well. She cocked her head to the side, rolled her shoulders, and cracked her knuckles, a mocking smirk making its way onto her face.

"Sou ka. You answer to that name as well huh?"

I sent her a glare of my own at her taunting words. She chuckled and brought her fist back as she stepped to the side before launching towards me. Fortunately for me, the Dobe took quick advantage of her position in midair.

"ORRRAAAA!!"

"K'SO!"

'INNER' was sent flying the minute Naruto's charging side kick made impact with her ribs. He landed crouched with his eyes shadowed but already I could see and feel the ominous red chakra building up inside of him. As my teammate's other self picked herself from the floor, he looked up and sure enough, his eyes were blood red and his irises had formed animalistic slits.

"_**What did you do to Sakura-chan!?**_"

I watched 'INNER' wince as Naruto's Kyuubi-possessed voice rang out in a raspy, dangerous echo.

"I didn't do shit to her!" I was surprised at the sudden courage and truth (was it?) laced in those words. "I haven't even touched her!"

"_**LIAR!**_"

She barely had any chance to block as Naruto charged at her with his clawed hands. I could only watch as she used the replacement technique to dodge blow after blow. She should consider herself fortunate. The dobe may have been using the fox's chakra, but he was maintaining control.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a shadow move and latch onto Sakura's inner rendering her motionless.

"The fuck?!"

"Yare yare. It was getting really damn troublesome watching you two prance around like monkeys."

Shikamaru walked out of the shadows where he was guarding Ino who was still working on Sakura. He rubbed his temples ('INNER' mimicking his actions) and watched her with calculating eyes.

"Look, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way where I'll just let the idiot over there beat you until you show us where the REAL Sakura is."

"NANI?"

Ditto…but not as loud.

"By your silence, I guess you didn't notice it either Sasuke?"

"…"

"I see… Always so troublesome."

I should take that as an insult. I really should.

"Shika-kun! What the hell do you mean?"

"Simple, that's not Sakura that you're working on. It's some form of mentally induced illusion that 'INNER' created to throw us off. I had my doubts when I saw it, I'll admit, but the minute she showed her hand by denying the fact that she harmed Sakura, it became clear."

"So I just wasted a bunch of chakra and nearly had a heart attack for nothing?!"

"…Err."

I can somewhat understand Nara's position right now. You never want a girl angry with you. Especially if said girl is a kunoichi known for getting back at people.

"Ano. Can you release me now?"

"…No."

"Aw…"

"Yeah! You're going to stop what you're doing to Sakura-chan and she's gonna be back to normal! You may be her inner, but you are NOT Sakura-chan!"

"…"

Everything was suddenly eerily quiet after Naruto's exclamation. The only noise that disturbed it was our breaths. I could even hear my heartbeat, as well as younger Sakura's in my ear.

A sudden flash of silver and a loud ear-piercing scream disturbed the sudden silence. My head snapped towards Ino and widened as I noticed the kunai sticking out of Sakura's heart. Her eyes were wide as well as dull, blank, and completely expressionless. They were dead. Yamanaka was shocked to say the least. She had my teammates head on her lap and both hands on her cheeks. I could see the tears already leaking out of her eyes and how her bottom lip trembled.

Then the body did something we didn't expect. It disintegrated into dust and as it did, 'INNER' chuckled darkly.

"Heh… You were right. That wasn't the Sakura you're looking for. But… I wasn't the one who conjured her! Sakura herself did!"

"You're lying!"

"Am I? Really now, I haven't lied to you so far."

"Bu-But that fake-"

"I never said anything about it. Heck, I just went along with it, but not once did I really acknowledge it as Sakura herself. But not once did I deny it being false."

"But why! Why would Sakura-chan do this to us!?"

Naruto was near tears and from the look of it, confused. The others seemed to be in similar (but not as dramatic) states as well. Why was Sakura toying with us like this? Did she not want to be saved? Was this just some big joke she was pulling?

"Do you hate her for doing this? Or better yet, do you hate me?"

"…"

"Honestly, it's not her fault that she gets hurt so much. Some of them being self inflicted wounds. When you have so many troubling things happening to you in one lifetime… Things can happen. You can face them… or shut them out and fake it. That's what an 'INNER' is for most of the time. In our family's case, history brings us to this point. And Sakura suffers."

"What…do you mean?"

"Long story short, the first Lady Haruno suffered many misfortunes and developed a double-sided mind. A mind of outer strength, and an inner of pent up emotions. After many years, she finally found release and although she kept both minds separate, she found balance and peace. And thus, the Inners of the Haruno clan were born."

"But where does that leave you and Sakura? Where does that leave us? If Sakura doesn't want to be found…"

"We have a rarer case. Like the first Haruno's. And Sakura has gone on a 'lock-down' per say and I'm the guard. If you can't handle it, I'll escort you to the exit. It's all simple really. So what's it gonna be?"

After hearing all of that, I really don't know what to choose anymore. At first, the answer was clear- release Sakura from 'INNER's hold. Now it's save Sakura from her self-induced solitary confinement or leave her alone to deal with it. I glanced at the others to see that they were in deep thought. Shikamaru looked doubtful. Hinata seemed troubled. But when my eyes landed on both Naruto and Ino, the dead-set determination in their eyes left me in awe.

"Screw that! Even if Sakura-chan doesn't want to be saved, I'll do the same for her as I did for Sasuke! She'll come back with us whether she wants to or not! Dattebayo!"

"Yeah! Forehead girl isn't going to just leave us hanging like that! Friends stick with each other even through the hard times and Sakura is my best friend!"

Tch. Dobe…and Yamanaka…so loud. I can feel my ears ringing. Capital letters won't even do it justice.

"I don't really have anything to say to that except…" her hands started glowing a sea green color as a wave of chakra pulsed around us. "As a guard, my job is to keep intruders out!"

Before we knew it, the kanji on her forehead glowed and she grew to a point where she could squeeze us to death with one hand. Soon after that, Ino turned pale white.

"D-d-d-deja-vu n-ne?"

"GET OUTTA MY HEAD!!"

Oh… Fuck.

* * *

'_Ne…Sasuke-kun…it hurts…Why does it hurt so much?'_

* * *

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

"Ichigo! What's the situation?!"

"Tsunade-sama! She's trying to fight her seals!!"

"Kuso! Lee, Chouji, Kiba! Help hold her down! Neji, Shino, TenTen! You're going to be back up if it gets any worse!"

She received a series of 'Hai's and nods as the nin got to work.

"KAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGGHHH!!"

'**This is going from bad to worse!'**

'_Hey, at least you're resting up in there while you put me out here to do your dirty work!'_

'**It's my body anyway! I'm the one who's gonna pass out on the spot after this is over and then have to deal with it in the morning!'**

'_Oh right, well at least that makes me feel better!'_

'**Did I mention I would love it if I didn't have you?'**

'_Plenty of times love. This is not the first.'_

**WOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**Sou ka- another way to say "I see" in Japanese for anyone who didn't know.**

**Well, my beta did a good job of cleaning this up so kudos to her. Hopefully, I'll be working on the next chapter in the coming weeks. I want to finish this before june ends cuz I'm taking a long vacation. So yea. And I got my finals next week... blarg... at least school ends then! YAY!! And then I'll be a senior!! Class of '09!! W00T!! XD**


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